For the past few years, getting Call of Duty on release day has been a big reason to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass. Call of Duty is still hugely popular, but now, if you want it on launch day, you’ll have to pay for it separately. Microsoft has lowered the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $30 to $23 a month, but this means day-one access to Call of Duty is gone. This move makes sense financially for Microsoft, but I hope it’s a precursor to an even bigger move: a new, even-cheaper Game Pass tier that doesn’t include big AAA games like CoD.
Give us a Game Pass focused on a curated selection of AA and indie games, price it appropriately, and allow these titles to shine when they’re not competing for attention from games and franchises that regularly overshadow them.
One of the big problems with Xbox Game Pass is that its biggest games want to monopolize all of your attention. Call of Duty and Forza Horizon are cleverly designed to be “Forever Games”: experiences that demand all your free time and also influence you to spend more on them. The tactics aren’t exactly subtle, as Microsoft has experimented with early access to first-party games, allowing you to dive into those titles by upgrading to a deluxe edition for a few dollars more. Microsoft is still making money and getting a monthly pound of flesh out of you by keeping you subscribed to Game Pass, while flashy marketing campaigns and live-service elements keep you hooked for longer.
