Overview

• Bloomberg, citing unnamed former employees, reports internal estimates that Xbox forfeited more than $300 million in Call of Duty sales last year due to day-one availability on its subscription service, a figure Microsoft has not confirmed.
• Microsoft this week raised Game Pass Ultimate pricing by roughly 50% to $29.99 per month, and on console it is the only tier that still includes day-one releases, with the change rolling out shortly before the next Call of Duty launch.
• Despite being on the service, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 delivered the franchise’s largest launch ever, according to CEO Satya Nadella, reflecting strong engagement alongside subscription sign-ups.
• In the United States, 82% of full-price launch-month sales for Black Ops 6 were on PlayStation, and overall subscription spending grew 16% year over year during that month, according to reporting cited by Push Square.
• Analyst Joost Van Dreunen says Game Pass growth and infrastructure costs have not matched Microsoft’s expectations, even as Xbox executives point to billions in annual revenue and assert the service is profitable.