Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball has confirmed that the price increase for Game Pass Ultimate in October 2025 led to the service losing millions of subscribers.
He shared this information in an interview with The Game Business, showing a level of transparency that is rare for a major platform holder.
In October 2025, the cost of Game Pass Ultimate doubled from $14.99 to $29.99 per month. The increase was partly justified by including access to Call of Duty on the day of release. However, this approach proved to be unsustainable.
What Happened After Xbox Doubled the Game Pass Ultimate Price
Asha Sharma, the new Xbox CEO, has cut the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $22.99 per month as one of her first significant actions since taking on the role.
This price reduction came with a trade-off: new Call of Duty releases will no longer be available on Xbox Game Pass on launch day and will instead arrive about a year after the game's release.
While the $22.99 monthly rate is still higher than the pre-October 2025 price, it now includes additional content such as Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics, which were not part of the original Game Pass Ultimate offering.
The subscriber losses confirm what analysts predicted after the October 2025 price increase. At that time, the jump in cost drew immediate criticism from subscribers, with many canceling their memberships publicly.
Analysts who spoke to Windows Central after the subsequent price reduction said it should help grow subscriber numbers, although they noted that rebuilding a user base lost to a price hike takes time.
Sharma has also acknowledged that Game Pass has "become too expensive" and described the price cut as part of a broader effort to improve retention and expand the service.
Ball's confirmation of the impact, which he said affected "millions" but did not provide a precise figure, is the clearest indication yet of how much the price increase harmed the service.
Game Pass Ultimate is currently available at $22.99 per month. Going forward, Call of Duty titles will arrive on the service one year after their release. The subscription also includes Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics.
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