I was scrolling through my subscriptions when the alert arrived: Call of Duty was no longer a day-one Game Pass title and the price had just shifted. You felt that small jolt—cheaper number, bigger question. Now Microsoft is reportedly offering a menu where you pick what stays, and that possibility changes everything.
Your subscription list contains things you never open — a new way to pay for Game Pass may fix that
I’ve been watching this story because it answers a simple irritation: you shouldn’t pay full price for features you ignore. Jez Corden reports, citing Microsoft sources, that Xbox is testing a “pick your own plan” approach for Game Pass where subscribers choose which bundles and features appear in their plan. That would let you remove cloud gaming, add day-one titles, or stack other perks without being locked into one size.
The idea is flexibility in practice: trade cloud streaming for a cheaper monthly fee, or swap a streaming slot for a day-one release. It’s a contrast to the old model where publishers and platform owners bundled everything and you paid regardless. Think of it like a restaurant menu where you only pay for sides you eat.
Will Call of Duty return to Game Pass?
Short answer: there’s no public commitment. Activision’s Call of Duty was pulled from the day-one rotation and that helped Microsoft lower the Ultimate tier price. Jez Corden’s sources suggest this removal is part of a broader rethink, not a permanent ban—Microsoft may bring specific titles back under different terms. You should expect negotiations between Xbox, Activision, and publishers to shape what comes and when.
Your bank balance noticed the change — price moves and how Asha Sharma is steering Xbox
Under CEO Asha Sharma, Xbox is visibly retooling. Sharma herself confirmed that Game Pass flexibility is on the roadmap while announcing a Discord partnership, which signals partnership-first thinking. Game Pass Ultimate now sits at $22.99 (€21) per month after cuts; that compares to the previous near-$30 (€28) positioning that drew complaints.
This pick-your-plan model could let users shave costs by removing features they don’t use, or add high-value day-one games when they want them. From the user side, it’s appealing. From Microsoft’s angle, it’s a way to keep revenue while reducing churn. Think of the new system as a Swiss Army knife that folds away the tools you never use.
How much will Game Pass cost?
Concrete prices for any modular plans haven’t leaked. Right now Ultimate is $22.99 (€21) per month. If Microsoft follows the reported design, you might see a base plan lower than that with add-ons (cloud gaming, PC access, day-one releases) offered as paid options. Bundles with partners such as Netflix or other services could complicate the math but offer more tailored value for different users.
Your choices are the product now — what this could mean for players and Xbox
You should be excited and cautious. More control sounds great, but fragmentation can hurt the perceived value of Game Pass: a friend’s library could look completely different from yours, and surprise removals of marquee titles remain a risk. Major platforms—Microsoft, Sony, and publishers like Activision—are watching subscribers’ tolerance for bundles and micro-pricing. Discord and Netflix tie-ins are plausible given recent moves.
I’ll watch the signals: official product messaging from Xbox, Jez Corden’s follow-ups, and Asha Sharma’s public statements. If done well, pick-your-plan could stop you from paying for what you never play. If done poorly, it might turn Game Pass into a jigsaw of tiny purchases with the same monthly bill psychology that fueled earlier backlash.
So will this new formula give players genuine control or just repackage the same subscription trade-offs under fancier labels?