Microsoft said on Tuesday that it is lowering the price of its subscription services that offer access to hundreds of video games, following a pledge by its new gaming chief to “recommit to our core Xbox fans and players.”
The company said in a blog post that its flagship Game Pass Ultimate plan, which lets users download games on PCs and Xbox consoles as well as stream titles on mobile devices, has been reduced from $29.99 to $22.99 per month.
The PC Game Pass subscription has also been cut, dropping from $16.49 to $13.99.
Microsoft also said that upcoming titles in the “Call of Duty” franchise will no longer be available on the subscriptions immediately upon release.
Instead, gamers will be able to purchase new titles when they are released, with the latest “Call of Duty” game priced at $69.99, or wait until the following holiday season, when older versions will become available on the service.
The shift reflects an effort to reshape the Xbox business under Asha Sharma, a former Meta executive who took over as Microsoft’s gaming chief in February, replacing Phil Spencer.
