Microsoft has officially reversed its debatable Xbox Game Pass price hiked plans, but this financial relief comes with a massive catch. While monthly subscription fees are going down, new Call of Duty titles will no longer be included as day-one releases on the service.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Price Drop Details
It is interesting to note that there has been a radical change in how Microsoft structures its pricing, as it tries to address the problem of subscription fatigue. The premium subscription package of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will now be available at £16.99 from the previous price of £22.99. Additionally, the PC Game Pass package will cost you just £10.99 per month.
Why Call of Duty is Leaving Game Pass Day-One Releases
This is the compromise made for the cheaper subscription plan. After acquiring Activision Blizzard, the initial plan was to utilize the day one releases of the Call of Duty franchise to create a huge boost in Xbox subscriptions. Unfortunately, the harsh economic realities of AAA games showed otherwise. By placing the biggest franchise within a subscription plan, it greatly hurt the sales of the full-priced retail game while failing to acquire new subscribers in return.
The Future of Microsoft’s Xbox Subscription Strategy
With this move away from its all-in value offering, Microsoft tacitly acknowledges the ineffectiveness of the AAA subscription model. As it develops under new leadership, Xbox is moving away from the hype and towards an approach of sustainability.
This marks a dramatic change for the gaming industry. People have become tired of subscriptions, and day-one AAA blockbuster games might be on their way out. Henceforth, the likes of Call of Duty would be released as the full retail version without the need for a subscription.
The games would become available through the latter around a year after release. While cheaper Game Pass minimizes churn rates, removing the AAA game kills any exclusivity value of the platform.
