In an interview conducted by Chris Dring for The Game Business during Summer Game Fest, Xbox’s Chief Strategy Officer, Matthew Ball, revealed that the platform experienced a substantial loss of “millions of subscribers” following a 50% price hike in the fall of 2025. This claim was later reposted by Geoff Keighley.
Although the exact number of lost subscribers and the full context surrounding this quote are yet to be disclosed, it is worth noting that Xbox Game Pass was speculated to have surpassed 35 million subscribers in mid-2025. However, an official confirmation of this figure never materialized. The service was confirmed to have 34 million subscribers back in February 2024.
In October of last year, Xbox announced a 50 % hike to its Game Pass Ultimate subscription, coupled with a revamp of its lower‑tier plans. This came just over a year after a similar price jump in 2024, and the backlash was swift: millions of subscribers slipped away, prompting the new CEO, Asha Sharma, to slash the price again in April—though not all the way back to 2025 levels. The same announcement also revealed that future Call of Duty titles would no longer be available through the service.
Over the past few years, Xbox’s Game Pass has slipped from its once‑glorious peak. Initially celebrated for its affordable price and a robust library of sought‑after games, the service has gradually lost steam as price increases mount and the influx of fresh, compelling titles slows. While new releases continue to arrive each month, the platform has yet to recapture the dominance it enjoyed when it was the primary driver behind many Xbox purchases.
News Source: Kotaku
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