In a refreshing departure from the usual trend of rising subscription costs, Microsoft has announced a significant price reduction for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass in Australia. While the news is overwhelmingly positive for the hip pocket, it comes with a strategic shift regarding one of the world’s biggest gaming franchises. From my point of view it’s a smart decision as the game in question I could take or leave anyway these days.
Significant Savings for Local Gamers
The flagship tier, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, has seen its monthly price tumble from $35.95 AUD to just $25.95 AUD. For dedicated subscribers, this equates to a substantial saving of $120 per year. PC gamers are also winning, with the PC Game Pass monthly fee dropping from $19.45 AUD to $16.45 AUD.
The lower-tier Premium and Essential plans remain at their current price points, but the reduction at the top end makes the “Ultimate” experience far more accessible for the average household.
It’s kind of funny, I only just changed my subscription this month from the $35.95 down to the Premium tier as I found I just wasn’t playing enough Xbox at the moment. Now that it’s back to a more reasonable $25.95 AUD I’ll likely switch it back, but it would be nice if we could get it down under that $20 mark.
The Call of Duty Trade-Off
This price adjustment isn’t without a caveat. Under the leadership of new CEO Asha Sharma, Xbox is pivoting its “Day One” release strategy. Starting with this year’s installment, new Call of Duty titles will no longer join the Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass libraries on the day of launch. Instead, these blockbuster titles will arrive on the service approximately one year later.
To be fair, the last COD was a bit meh and I just don’t find myself as engrossed in that series like I used to back in the day playing online multiplayer. If they could do the same with the Fornite V-Bucks bloat that comes with the pass, and lower it even more that would be awesome. But having said that the value at essentially $26 Aussie dollar bucks a month is very good.
Sharma noted that the change is a response to player feedback and the need for a sustainable model that caters to a wide breadth of preferences so it’s nice to see that this new era of Xbox is getting off to a great start.
The Verdict
For those who live and breathe Call of Duty on day one, the news might sting, as they will now need to purchase the game separately to stay current, but given the saving of $120 a year and that being around the cost of the game that comes out annually it’s actually a win/win for everyone.
