The world of gaming has been in a state of disarray for a while now. There have been a lot of factors behind this. We’ve had economic changes, issues with tariffs, a chip shortage, and overblown budgets. Studios are hurting and publishers are scrambling. Microsoft and Sony are increasing console prices mid generation. That kind of stuff doesn’t happen. But at least Sony has a much larger console market share than Microsoft does. The Xbox manufacturer knows its losing ground and they’re hoping a Game Pass price cut will help.
Price Increases and an Identity Crisis
In October of 2025, Microsoft raised the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $19.99 to $29.99. That substantial jump alienated a lot of players. It also gave life to concerns that has been whispered around. People were saying Game Pass was too cheap to be sustainable for the price it offered. Microsoft also started releasing exclusives for other consoles. Their biggest franchises like Forza, Gears of War, and even Halo were slated for release on other platforms. What was the reason to own an Xbox then? And if you didn’t own one, what was the incentive to get one?
This realization may be dawning on the Xbox team as they just announced a price cut for Game Pass. Effective April 21st, 2025, the price for Ultimate is being dropped back down to $22.99. That’s still $3.00 more a month than what it used to be. However, it’s a steep $7.00 cut from what it was. There’s a catch though. As part of this, Microsoft is removing new Call of Duty releases from Game Pass. All the current ones will stay available, but the new ones will not be available until the following holiday season after their release.
Will the Price Cut Fix Anything?
It’s a smart move, even if it’s one that is going to hurt “COD” fans who were avoiding purchasing the games on Xbox consoles. That said, if you were buying them on PS5, you’re not missing out at all. In fact, if you own both a PS5 and an Xbox Series X/S maybe now’s the time to jump back on Game Pass if you had ditched it previously. Is it going to be enough to course correct for Microsoft’s Xbox brand in general though? Our guess is, probably not. The sheer amount of horrendous business decisions Microsoft has made starting with the Xbox One is just staggering. It’s quite possible that this ship has sailed and there’s no coming back.
We could be wrong though. There would have to be some huge shakeups to put Microsoft back on track with Sony in terms of the home console market. Nintendo has been carving out their own niche with their hybrid home/portable Switch 2. Microsoft has shown interest in trying to creep in there too with its Xbox Ally. And of course, Steam has its Steam Deck. Microsoft is said to be working on its next console, currently known as Project Helix. Lining up some good will know with a Game Pass price cut may restore some faith with the consumer base.
All of this is fairly perilous ground for a company that ruled the roost with the Xbox 360 back in the mid 2000’s and early 2010’s. What else does Microsoft have up their sleeve? Will it be enough to court back gamers? We’ll see.
