New Xbox Game Pass Changes Prove GTA 6 Boss Was Right All Along

Xbox Game Pass is walking back some of its recent changes, proving that Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick was right to keep Grand Theft Auto 6 off the subscription service. The new Xbox CEO announced this week that Game Pass Ultimate is dropping from $29.99 to $22.99 per month, while also exploring customizable plans that let subscribers remove less popular extras like EA Play and cloud streaming.

This reversal traces back to August 2024, when Xbox made Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 a day-one Game Pass release. Zelnick publicly pushed back, arguing that offering a premium-priced frontline title in a subscription service day and date would temporarily push consumers toward subscriptions, but wouldn't change Take-Two's rational decision to keep GTA 6 off Game Pass.

Zelnick's prediction has now come full circle. Xbox's new leadership announced that future Call of Duty titles will no longer join Game Pass Ultimate on day one — they'll arrive roughly a year after launch. The price hikes that CoD's inclusion necessitated appear to have driven subscribers away, forcing the recent price rollback and the removal of the franchise from day-one status.

For GTA 6, the equation is even clearer. Industry analysts project it will be the biggest entertainment launch in history — not just in gaming, but across all media. Unlike indie titles that benefit from Game Pass exposure, GTA 6 stands to lose far more revenue from a subscription model than it could ever gain. A traditional $70 launch is projected to generate billions more.

Zelnick has acknowledged that legacy titles like GTA 5 still have a place on Game Pass for players interested in back catalogues. But when it comes to day-one releases for established franchises, his position remains unchanged: it's simply not rational. As Xbox walks back its Game Pass ambitions, GTA 6 is gearing up for what may be the biggest traditional video game release of all time.