Xbox Game Pass lost millions of subscribers after the service raised its price by 50 percent in Fall 2025. The cancellation surge was so heavy that it crashed the website page for new cancellations. Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball confirmed the scale of the churn during a recent company update.
Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball admits millions of subscribers canceled after the service raised its price by half.
The price increase applied to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan and took effect for current members right away. The platform saw a sharp drop in subscribers shortly after the price hike was implemented. Microsoft has not released an exact figure beyond the millions range for total cancellations.
Xbox leadership responded to the backlash by partially reversing the price increase under new management led by Asha Sharma. The company also removed Call of Duty titles from the subscription library as part of the adjustment. Recent changes indicate a departure from the original pricing model that led to high cancellation rates.
The surge of cancellations overwhelmed the Xbox website, causing technical issues during high-traffic moments. The platform struggled to handle the volume of users attempting to cancel their accounts simultaneously. The company has not confirmed if it intends to improve server capacity to handle similar demand spikes.
Xbox is now rethinking its exclusive game strategy with a case-by-case approach for new releases. Multiplayer titles will continue to launch on competing platforms rather than remaining console-only. The strategy seeks to retain current users while fostering expansion across other parts of the gaming platform.
Ball described the current initiative as the start of a program designed to validate historical investments by players. The company wants to keep users engaged with Xbox through reliable long-term benefits and exclusive content. Industry observers note that exclusives remain critical for platform branding and future expansion.
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