Microsoft announces Xbox Game Pass price increase and changes to game releases

Microsoft

Microsoft has announced that it is raising the price of Xbox Game Pass yet again as it changes how it releases its first-party games on the subscription service.

The details:

The price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the highest tier of the popular subscription service, has now been increased by 50%, up to $29.99 per month from $19.99. Its Core tier, required to play games online, will still cost $9.99, while Premium and PC Game Pass have been bumped up to $14.99 and $16.49 per month, respectively.
However, to coincide with the price increase, Ultimate subscribers will now gain access to much more content, including the Ubisoft+ Classics catalog, Fortnite’s Crew service, and over 75 day-one releases each year. Among those releases this year are Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Ninja Gaiden 4, and The Outer Worlds 2.
Microsoft has also changed how it will release first-party games for those subscribed to its Premium tier. Going forward, players will now get each first-party release within a year except Call of Duty titles, which will likely come much later.