{"id":1980154,"date":"2026-06-09T11:13:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T08:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1980154"},"modified":"2026-06-09T11:13:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T08:13:16","slug":"game-pass-lost-millions-of-subscribers-as-a-result-of-last-years-controversial-price-hike-xbox-chief-strategy-officer-reveals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1980154","title":{"rendered":"Game Pass lost millions of subscribers as a result of last year&#8217;s controversial price hike, Xbox chief strategy officer reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/call-of-duty-black-ops-7\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Call of Duty: Black Ops 7<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Game Pass lost millions of subscribers as a result of last year&#8217;s controversial price hike, Xbox chief strategy officer reveals<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Premium problems.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/game-pass-negative-stonks.webp?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Custom header showing Game Pass logo with stock market line going down in RED, big RED.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"game-pass-negative-stonks.webp\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-06-09T11:13:16+00:00\">June 9, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"c99daa07-d790-41ab-a9c0-750d6800dab8\" data-name=\"Call of Duty: Black Ops 7\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Call of Duty: Black Ops 7\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Call of Duty: Black Ops 7\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Call of Duty: Black Ops 7\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Call of Duty: Black Ops 7\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Call of Duty: Black Ops 7\" title=\"Follow Call of Duty: Black Ops 7\"><br \/>\n  Follow Call of Duty: Black Ops 7<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Xbox Game Pass lost millions of subscribers following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/microsoft-increases-price-of-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-despite-record-subscription-profits-last-year\">the fall 2025 price hike<\/a>, Xbox&#8217;s chief strategy officer Matthew Ball has revealed.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to Chris Dring during The Game Business Live during Summer Game Fest, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/geoffkeighley\/status\/2064032398229274749\">Ball has helped paint a picture<\/a> of the consequences of a roughly 50 percent price increase for the service plus the addition of Call of Duty to the line-up of available day-one games.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - Official &apos;DMZ First Look&apos; Trailer | Xbox Games  Showcase 2026\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wVTnKXUfdUo?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/wVTnKXUfdUo\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 &#8211; Official &#8216;DMZ First Look&#8217; Trailer | Xbox Games  Showcase 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>You can watch the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 DMZ overview trailer here.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wVTnKXUfdUo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While the exact figure of remaining subscribers remains unclear, millions of lost users would mark a hefty dent in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/phil-spencer-says-game-pass-now-has-34m-fully-paid-subscribers\">34m subscribers announced by then Xbox CEO Phil Spencer back in 2024<\/a>, assuming that figure remained largely the same over the next 12 months.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In a leaked memo this year, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-game-pass-too-expensive-asha-sharma\">admitted Game Pass had become too expensive for players<\/a>, arguing the company needed a &#8220;better value equation&#8221; for the service. It&#8217;s important to note that this April this price hike, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-drops-game-pass-prices-call-of-duty-exits-day-one\">the new Call of Duty was removed from the service and the price was taken down<\/a>, so there appears to be a clear attempt at course correction from Microsoft here.<\/p>\n<p>This reveal from Ball comes in the wake of a major strategy shift elsewhere from Xbox, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gears-of-war-e-day-release-platform-skipping-ps5-rumour\">Gears of War: E-Day will not be coming to the PS5<\/a> in a bid to steer towards more game exclusivity. When exactly this decision was made is disputed, but it&#8217;s clear this was a recent decision made by Xbox higher-ups.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Xbox Game Pass lost millions of subscribers following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/microsoft-increases-price-of-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-despite-record-subscription-profits-last-year\">the fall 2025 price hike<\/a>, Xbox&#8217;s chief strategy officer Matthew Ball has revealed.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to Chris Dring during The Game Business Live during Summer Game Fest, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/geoffkeighley\/status\/2064032398229274749\">Ball has helped paint a picture<\/a> of the consequences of a roughly 50 percent price increase for the service plus the addition of Call of Duty to the line-up of available day-one games.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - Official &apos;DMZ First Look&apos; Trailer | Xbox Games  Showcase 2026\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wVTnKXUfdUo?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/wVTnKXUfdUo\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 &#8211; Official &#8216;DMZ First Look&#8217; Trailer | Xbox Games  Showcase 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>You can watch the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 DMZ overview trailer here.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wVTnKXUfdUo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While the exact figure of remaining subscribers remains unclear, millions of lost users would mark a hefty dent in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/phil-spencer-says-game-pass-now-has-34m-fully-paid-subscribers\">34m subscribers announced by then Xbox CEO Phil Spencer back in 2024<\/a>, assuming that figure remained largely the same over the next 12 months.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In a leaked memo this year, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-game-pass-too-expensive-asha-sharma\">admitted Game Pass had become too expensive for players<\/a>, arguing the company needed a &#8220;better value equation&#8221; for the service. It&#8217;s important to note that this April this price hike, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/xbox-drops-game-pass-prices-call-of-duty-exits-day-one\">the new Call of Duty was removed from the service and the price was taken down<\/a>, so there appears to be a clear attempt at course correction from Microsoft here.<\/p>\n<p>This reveal from Ball comes in the wake of a major strategy shift elsewhere from Xbox, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gears-of-war-e-day-release-platform-skipping-ps5-rumour\">Gears of War: E-Day will not be coming to the PS5<\/a> in a bid to steer towards more game exclusivity. When exactly this decision was made is disputed, but it&#8217;s clear this was a recent decision made by Xbox higher-ups.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Game Pass lost millions of subscribers as a result of last year&#8217;s controversial price hike, Xbox chief strategy officer reveals Premium problems. Image credit: Eurogamer News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on June 9, 2026 Follow Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Xbox Game Pass lost [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1980154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1980154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980154\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1980154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1980154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1980154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}