Last month, Microsoft raised the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate by a whopping 50% and overhauled the face of the subscription service. It was a drastic event that led to rampant backlash hitting social media platforms worldwide, with many subscribers downgrading their tier or cancelling their subscription altogether.
In a new post, it has been claimed that some, such as Call of Duty’s developers, see the price hike as a positive for the studios making the games that are added to the Game Pass service when they launch.
Short-Term Loss, Long-Term Gain
In a post on social media, GhostofHope, a Call of Duty leaker, revealed that they’d spoken to a string of Call of Duty developers who had nice things to say about the Game Pass Ultimate price boost.
Last month, the price of Game Pass Ultimate swelled from $19.99 a month to $29.99 a month.
GhostofHope wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
I spoke to several Call of Duty developers who say that the recent price increase for Game Pass from $19.99 to $29.99 is a positive for the Call of Duty studios.
Financially, this will be a win for them as individuals because it will lead to more revenue which means they are more in control of their future and what they can achieve.
There is also a lot more financial upside with bonuses and such if they are successful now. The news of a price increase also means they need to rely on making games that sell more units to achieve these bonuses.
The vibe in Activision with regards to Black Ops 7 is pretty positive at the moment. A few months ago, the executive team was not happy and now they are feeling better.
In July, the founder of Arkane Studios went on the record, labelling Game Pass ‘unsustainable and damaging’ and stressing that it doesn’t co-exist with other models.
It was also revealed in recent Xbox news that Microsoft’s console hardware sales dropped by 29% in Q1 FY26, putting further stock in the company diving deeper into publishing, the cloud, and the flagship subscription service.
Do you think the price hike for Game Pass Ultimate was a good thing, or have you canceled your subscription? Let me know on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Red Dead Redemption 2 was once doubted by investors
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
I cancelled when it was $20. That was too much.
Cancelled as well. Loved playing many of the games there, but can’t afford it anymore.