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Xbox Game Pass gets price cut but won’t include new ‘Call of Duty’ games

Nypost · · 259 words · By Reuters
Corporate Strategy Shifts
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/business/xbox-game-pass-gets-price-cut-but-wont-in…

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Loaded Language 60% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

6 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

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info Single Source 1
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“Microsoft has dropped the price of its video game subscription service and the platform will not include future “Call of Duty” game releases on launch day, the company said Tuesday, in the first major strategy shift under new gaming boss Asha Sharma.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that Microsoft dropped the price of Xbox Game Pass and that future 'Call of Duty' releases will no longer be included on launch day, citing Asha Sharma's announcement. The claim is supported by multiple independent web reports.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Call of Duty (CoD) is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Call of Duty: United Offensive is an expansion pack for the first-person shooter video game Call of Duty. It was developed by Gray Matter Studios, with contributions from Pi Studios, and published by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_United_Offensive
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Microsoft Gaming is the video game and digital entertainment division of the American multinational technology company Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington and established in 2022. Its five develop…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Gaming
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Starting Tuesday, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will now cost $22.99 a month from $29.99 while PC Game Pass is priced at $13.99 from $16.49 monthly, the software firm said in a blog.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific pricing changes ($22.99 from $29.99 for Ultimate, and $13.99 from $16.49 for PC Game Pass) are not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence. While the evidence suggests price changes are being discussed in relation to Asha Sharma, the precise numerical comparison is only implied or stated once in the context of the search results, making it difficult to confirm as 'corroborated' without more sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer, headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas–Fort Worth). The brand is the largest video game …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameStop
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — L.A. Noire is a 2011 action-adventure game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. Set in 1947 Los Angeles, the game follows the rise of detective Cole Phelps among the ranks of the L…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L.A._Noire
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a 2003 first-person shooter video game based on the film of the same title, with elements of hand-to-hand combat in the third-person perspective. It was developed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_3:_Rise_of_the_Mach…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Removing launch inclusions of “Call of Duty” from the service means undoing a decision made just a few years ago after Microsoft bought the game’s developer Activision Blizzard for a mammoth $69 billion, hoping that the game’s heft would attract users to Game Pass.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for a large sum (cited as $69 billion in one instance, and $68.7 billion/totaling $75.4 billion in others). The context of this acquisition was indeed to bolster the gaming appeal for services like Game Pass.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The acquisition was completed on October 13, 2023, with its total cost amounting to $75.4 billion.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquisition_of_Activision_Bliz…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. Activision Blizzard currently includes three operating units: Activision, Blizzard Entertainment …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activision_Blizzard
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service as part of Xbox and offered by Microsoft Gaming. Launched on June 1, 2017, the service allows users to download and play video games via video game console…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Game_Pass
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“New “Call of Duty” games will be added to Game Pass services around a year after their release, the company said.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results state that new 'Call of Duty' games will be added to Game Pass services around a year after their release, indicating a delay from launch day inclusion.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Call of Duty (CoD) is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a 2024 first-person shooter video game co-developed by Treyarch and Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the twenty-first main installment of the Call of Duty…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Black_Ops_6
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is a 2023 first-person shooter game developed by Sledgehammer Games and published by Activision. It is the twentieth installment of the Call of Duty series and is the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_I…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Prevailing uncertainty around the future of the Xbox was exacerbated with the exits of Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond in a leadership shake-up in February, leading to Microsoft insider Sharma taking up the top role to steer the company’s gaming division.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the departure of Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond. Furthermore, multiple sources name Asha Sharma as the successor taking over the leadership role in Microsoft Gaming, succeeding Phil Spencer.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Asha Sharma (born 1989) is an American business executive who serves as executive vice president (EVP) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Microsoft Gaming. She succeeded Phil Spencer on February 23,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asha_Sharma
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Phil Spencer (born January 12, 1968) is an American business executive and the former CEO of Microsoft Gaming from 2022 to 2026. Starting his career at Microsoft as an intern in 1988, Spencer has work…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spencer_(business_executi…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sarah Bond (born October 27, 1978) is an American business executive and former president of Xbox at Microsoft, where she oversaw the brand's operations as a platform and ecosystem, including hardware…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Bond_(executive)
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The Verge reported last week, citing an internal memo to Xbox employees, that Sharma admitted that Game Pass had gotten too expensive for players.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that The Verge published an article citing an internal memo where Asha Sharma admitted that Game Pass had become too expensive for players, necessitating a structural overhaul.
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web search NEUTRAL — In an internal memo to Xbox employees, obtained by The Verge, Sharma admits that "Game Pass has become too expensive for players" and that Microsoft needs "a better value equation."
https://www.theverge.com/tech/911182/microsoft-xbox-game-pas…
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web search NEUTRAL — New CEO Asha Sharma says Game Pass "has become too expensive" and that she wants to create a "better value equation" for players.
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-pass-is-too-expensive…
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web search NEUTRAL — Xbox CEO Game Pass Price Microsoft's new gaming chief has acknowledged in an internal memo that Xbox Game Pass has priced itself out of reach for too many players — and that a structural overhaul is a…
https://bitsfrombytes.com/xbox-ceo-game-pass-price-asha-shar…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.