Previously, this boosted the service's image, but it became a financial burden: by the end of 2025, the company could have lost up to $300 million because users chose a subscription instead of buying games.
It is reported that the changes are tied to a new strategy following leadership reshuffles at Xbox. The plans are also complicated by a rumor about a delay in the release of the next console, which allegedly affected the marketing of Modern Warfare 4. Microsoft is looking for ways to maximize revenue from CoD, which may mean a return to the regular sale of games.
For Ultimate subscribers who accepted the 2025 price increase for the sake of "Day One" CoD, this will be a blow. To compensate for the loss, other major products may be added to Game Pass, such as World of Warcraft. For now, these are only rumors, but they show that the "everything at launch in a subscription" model is becoming too expensive for Microsoft.