We’re expecting Microsoft to officially reveal Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 for an October launch during its Xbox showcase event in June. This is going to be the first Call of Duty title to get a day-one release on Game Pass, something that apparently had Microsoft executives concerned. As a result, it would appear that a shake-up of the current Game Pass tiers is being planned.
According to industry insiders “Shinobi602” and “eXtas1stv”, “there will be changes” to Xbox Game Pass tiers due to the upcoming addition of Call of Duty. It would seem that a mainline COD each year is enough of a value-add for Microsoft to finally consider increasing the price of Game Pass.
Since the service’s launch, Game Pass subscription prices have remained pretty steady. Here in the UK, a Game Pass Ultimate subscription costs £10.99 per month, while a standard Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass subscription is £7.99 per month. Now that Xbox needs to start making back the money it invested in acquiring Activision Blizzard and IP like Call of Duty, we can either expect new tiers for day-one games, or a general price increase to the current tiers.
Microsoft will be announcing its Call of Duty plans for 2024 at the Xbox Games Showcase in June. It is unclear if a new Game Pass structure or pricing scheme will be announced at the same time, or closer to Call of Duty’s launch, around September.
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KitGuru Says: It is always a slippery slope when subscription prices rise, as you run the risk of pricing some out. However, with games costing £70 at launch nowadays, Game Pass will remain the vastly cheaper option.