Leenzee’s Souls-like action RPG, now owned by 505 Games’ parent company Digital Bros, is also available for PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers starting today. It follows reports about the dissolution of the core development team and the firing of director/producer Xia Siyuan. Whether the franchise has a future or not, the new owners are wasting no time to ensure more people can play the original.

Mixtape, the next game from The Artful Escape developer Beethoven and Dinosaur, is available on May 7th for Ultimate and PC subscribers. The same tiers will also receive cozy exploration crafting title Outbound on May 11th, followed by Black Jacket and Call of the Elder Gods on May 12th.

Interestingly, Elite Dangerous is also coming to Ultimate and Premium on May 12th, and may be worth checking out for Starfield fans who want deeper space exploration. DOOM: The Dark Ages debuts for Premium on May 14th alongside, at long last, Subnautica 2 on Game Preview for Ultimate and PC subscribers.

Then on May 19th, clear your schedule because Forza Horizon 6 goes live on May 19th for Ultimate and PC subscribers. If you’re subscribed to either and purchase the Premium Upgrade, then you can get early access on May 15th.

Check out all the titles that will be leaving Game Pass on May 15th (and which you can purchase at a 20 percent discount):

• Galacticare (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Go Mecha Ball (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Planet of Lana (Cloud, Console, and PC)

While Xbox content and services revenue has gone down year-on-year by 5 percent, Microsoft has noted that the previous year was buoyed by strong first-party game releases. When it comes to Windows, Microsoft has reported revenue being down by 2 percent when compared to the previous year from its Windows OEM and Devices segment.

In its previous earnings report from back in January, Microsoft had revealed that its total gaming segment revenue shrank by 9 percent. The hardware segment was hit quite hard, with the company reporting a 32 percent decrease in sales. All in all, Microsoft had said at the time that Xbox had contributed to a 3 percent decline in overall revenue that was offset by other services.

The earnings report likely won’t include any initiative that Microsoft will have kicked off with its recent rebranding of the Microsoft Gaming division into Xbox, as well as the appointment of Asha Sharma as its CEO. Since taking over the leadership, Sharma, along with chief content officer Matt Booty, has continued to discuss how the Xbox platform will remain “open for more people to create.”

“I want to continue to make sure, as we build hardware, software, services, we’re spending just as much time on performance and play time as we are on making sure that we can innovate to offer more affordable devices and hardware and services,” said Sharma in a recent interview. “And so, look, there’s a reality to the market that we’re in, so there are no promises around what the price points are or anything like that. But I want to make sure that people around the world are able to play.”

Looking to the future, Sharma has also discussed the possibility of Microsoft’s next-generation console – Project Helix – being impacted by the ongoing global memory shortages.

“All of these things are an equation,” she said. “Memory costs will impact pricing, will impact availability. As we think about being where the world plays, we will take that into consideration. So we’re not ready to share a launch timeline right now. The world’s pretty dynamic. My number one focus, though, is to focus on what’s in our control, build a great console to play great games, including your PC games.”

To further bolster its gaming revenue, rumors from earlier this month have indicated that Microsoft is having internal discussions about the future of Xbox, which also involve a potential return of platform-exclusive games.

The recent announcement of Game Pass prices coming down might also help out the company’s revenues in time for its next earnings call. Along with this, since Call of Duty will stop coming to the service on day one of release, game sales might also play a major role by the end of the year.

As the duo describes it, “‘Microsoft Gaming’ describes our structure, but it does not describe our ambition. So, we are going back to where we started and changing our team’s name. We are Xbox. We are a high agency culture where wild and wonderful ideas thrive. Our job is not to smooth over our differences, but to connect everyone into something greater than any one studio or product.”

It’s all highly ambitious, especially the part about being a “challenger” and employing a “level of self-critique that should feel uncomfortable.” For now, the immediate priorities have been divided into hardware, content, experience and services.

That first point is most notable because Xbox wants to “lead in performance” with Project Helix, which is confirmed to play both console and PC games. However, it’s also interesting to note that “Stabilize Gen9 as a healthy and high-quality base” is a priority alongside building a “strong ecosystem that expands choice and reach.”

As for content, Xbox seeks to grow its “enduring portfolio of franchises” while evolving third-party partnerships. The expansion into China is interesting because it’s a market where PlayStation has made significant strides, courtesy of initiatives like the China Hero Project and hits like Black Myth: Wukong reportedly being timed exclusives.

As such, the focus on “emerging markets” and “mobile-first audiences” may not vibe with everyone, but at least those who enjoy live games can be assured of growth and “long-term stewardship.” It’s also looking into improving cloud play across TVs and “low-cost devices,” improving Game Pass, and making Xbox “the best place for developers and creators to build and grow.”

What about exclusivity and that ever-controversial topic of AI? Sharma and Booty said the division would “reevaluate our approach” as it learns more. So for those who think it’s too late to put the genie back in the bottle and keep Xbox titles exclusive to the platform, anything is possible.

This means that much of the franchise’s history still remains unplayable through Game Pass, going all the way back to even the very first Call of Duty game from 2003. According to PCGamer, a source from Activision has said that there are plans to bring more of the games over to the service some time this year. The exact timeline of when this will happen remains unknown.

It is worth noting that many of the older games in the Call of Duty franchise remain seminal even to this day. This includes entries like 2005’s Call of Duty 2, 2007’s Modern Warfare and its follow-ups from 2009 and 2011, and much of the Black Ops series, which started in 2010.

According to industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis, October 2025’s price hike for Game Pass subscription largely came down to the fact that Microsoft had projected quite a bit of lost revenue from bringing Call of Duty to the service on day one of release. Unfortunately, the necessary growth in subscriber numbers didn’t happen, which necessitated prices going up. “It meant Game Pass pricing had to be increased to offset some of the commercial implications of the approach, which had its own impact on retention of longer-term subscribers,” he explained.

In another post, Harding-Rolls has also noted that Call of Duty no longer coming to the subscription service on day one gives Microsoft to open the door for similar action with its other first-party releases. While first-party games on the service will remain “a core piece of the offer,” he wrote, “this opens the door to potential windowing of other new 1st-party releases,” allowing more games to generate higher revenue for a year before coming to the service.

Whether these older Call of Duty games that are reportedly coming to Game Pass will be available through the much-rumored “Triton” subscription tier, which only offers first-party games, also remains to be seen. The tier was discovered by dataminers finding references to its codename, as well as a list of games made by first-party studios, which included Halo Wars 2, Gears 5, and Fallout 4, among many others.

Another report, courtesy of Windows Central’s Jez Corden, has also implied that Microsoft might be having internal discussions about a “pick your own plan” style of subscription tier for Game Pass.

“A sort of ‘pick your own plan’ formula for Xbox Game Pass is on the cards, essentially, where users can effectively decide what packages of content they want to see as part of their plan,” writes Corden. There have also been reports about the Triton tier only offering Cloud Gaming capabilities with a time limit.

Harding-Rolls has also noted that a 12-month “window” before bringing in a Call of Duty title to the subscription service will “generate significantly more revenue” than a spike in Game Pass subscribers would have. “It will also support sales on PlayStation and other platforms,” he wrote, before going on to mention that this doesn’t necessarily mean that day-one releases of games on Game Pass are dead.

“This is still a core piece of the offer,” he wrote. “However, this opens the door to potential windowing of other new 1st-party releases.” Whether this ultimately means that we might see a year-long delay between the release of, for example, a new Gears of War game and its arrival on Game Pass is currently unknown. However, by doing this with Call of Duty, Microsoft has certainly given itself the window to do so in the future. As for how this will affect the Ultimate tier of Game Pass, which promises day-one first-party releases, remains to be seen.

In a lengthier report, he had noted that the decision to bring Call of Duty to Game Pass likely stemmed from an attempt to “turbo-charge the service” by bringing in more subscribers. However, this has seemingly not been the case, and a game on the scale of Call of Duty was not able to draw in enough new subscribers to offset the revenue lost by simply selling the title. “It meant Game Pass pricing had to be increased to offset some of the commercial implications of the approach, which had its own impact on retention of longer-term subscribers.”

In the meantime, reports have also been going around of Microsoft exploring the potential for a cheaper subscription tier for Game Pass that would only include first-party games. Codenamed “Triton”, this tier is also expected to include Cloud Gaming as one of its core features. However, when compared to the limitless implementation of Cloud Gaming on other tiers, Triton’s version is expected to include a time limit, bringing it in line with Nvidia’s GeForce Now.

More recent reports have indicated that Microsoft’s plans might extend even beyond that, with the potential for a “pick your own plan” option being discussed. According to Windows Central’s Jez Corden, such a plan is apparently “on the table,” and would allow potential subscribers to only pay for the things that they might actually want from the service. Users who don’t play Fortnite, for example, can get rid of the Fortnite Crew benefits. On the flip side, there is also the potential for users to bundle their subscriptions, like those for Minecraft Realms or World of Warcraft. The same rumors also indicate that a Family Plan might be in the works for Game Pass as well.

“A sort of ‘pick your own plan’ formula for Xbox Game Pass is on the cards, essentially, where users can effectively decide what packages of content they want to see as part of their plan,” writes Corden. “Microsoft has leaked ‘Duet’ and ‘Triton’ codenames for Xbox Game Pass via its back-end APIs recently, suggesting that packages of services are in the plan’s future. Don’t want Xbox Cloud Gaming? Remove it and lower the price. No need for Fortnite Crew? Ditch it and add day one Xbox games. Perhaps you can roll in World of Warcraft or Minecraft Realms subscriptions instead, or even other benefits like Netflix, per rumors, or the long-awaited Xbox Game Pass Family Plan.”

It is worth noting that the recent lowering of Game Pass subscription prices has also come with the caveat that Call of Duty games will stop showing up in the service on day one of their release. Rather, plans going forward revolve around bringing in Call of Duty games around a year after their initial release, which would likely be timed with the release of a new entry.

“Beginning this year, future Call of Duty titles won’t join Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass at launch,” said the company when announcing the new Game Pass prices. “New Call of Duty games will be added to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass during the following holiday season (about a year later), while existing Call of Duty titles already in the library will continue to be available.”

“Our players cover a wide breadth of geographies, preferences, and tastes, so while there isn’t a single model that’s best for everyone, this change responds to a lot of feedback we’ve gotten so far. We’ll continue to listen and learn.”

According to Corden’s sources, this decision was made thanks to a large amount of revenue being lost when Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was released on Game Pass from day one. When something like this happens, the company reportedly uses a “weighted formula” to “charge” profits from the subscription service back into the appropriate studio’s budgets. The price hikes from October 2025 were also attributed to this lost revenue from Call of Duty sales.

As for the rumored tiers for the subscription service, a recent report has indicated that, while Cloud Gaming will continue to be offered, there will be a time limit. This would put it in line with similar services, like Nvidia’s GeForce Now, which offers a maximum of 100 gaming hours per month. The tier codenamed Triton, on the other hand, is expected to include only first-party games developed by teams under the Xbox Game Studios banner.

Unfortunately, the rumors are true: new entries in the Call of Duty franchise will no longer be added to either tier on day one. Instead, they’ll become available about a year later during the holiday season. There are no changes to current titles, which is good news for all ten people who still enjoy Black Ops 7.

Regarding the changes, Microsoft said, “Our players cover a wide breadth of geographies, preferences, and tastes, so while there isn’t a single model that’s best for everyone, this change responds to a lot of feedback we’ve gotten so far. We’ll continue to listen and learn.”

For starters, the price changes are welcome following Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma reportedly claiming that the service had become too expensive. Of course, discussions have allegedly been brewing about a new tier that only includes first-party titles and a cloud gaming tier with a time limit.

As for Call of Duty, this move makes the most sense, given the sheer amount of revenue generated from game sales. With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 reportedly out in October and perhaps poised to stir the franchise back in the right direction, you can bet that Microsoft wants to reap as much revenue from it as possible.

Of course, as the publication notes, these are “only a few” of the appearing titles. The showcase promises “exclusive trailers, new looks and gameplay” from upcoming titles, including “plenty of amazing-looking” indies. There’s even a “surprise,” and your guess is as good as ours on what that could be.

While it may not seem a big deal compared to, say, another Xbox_Developer Direct or Partner Showcase, the last IGN-partnered ID@Xbox Showcase featured new trailers for MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf, Routine, Darkwood 2, and…well, Aphelion.

Aside from the latter, which launches next week (including on Game Pass), we’ll likely get release dates for Mistfall Hunter and There Are No Ghosts at the Grand. Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive could showcase its next big update for those who are into the game. Maybe it’s coming to Xbox Series X/S.

As always, stay tuned for more details and coverage. For those hoping for heavier hitters, there’s still the Xbox Games Showcase and Gears of War: E-Day Direct on June 7th. Microsoft has yet to confirm all the appearing games, but at least The Coalition will have a “fantastic, full 30 minutes of stuff to see,” according to Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty.

While the former two are available for Premium subscribers, the latter launches on day one for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. On April 23rd, Double Fine Productions’ chaotic arts-and-crafts-meets-competitive-multiplayer title Kiln will be available on the same tiers for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Of course, it’s also coming to PS5 with cross-platform play available.

Aphelion, the latest narrative adventure from DON’T NOD, is available on April 28th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Meanwhile, Trepang2 is playable on April 29th for Premium, Ultimate and PC tiers, in case you were missing some F.E.A.R.-style combat in your life.

After an initial delay, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era will launch on April 30th via Game Preview, with Ultimate and PC subscribers receiving access. It’s accompanied by Sledding Game, a relaxing snow-sports title that’s meant for friends (and even offers proximity voice chat), and TerraTech Legion, a “bullet heaven builder” where you fight off waves of robots by creating an increasingly powerful block-based vehicle.

If that wasn’t enough, next month kicks off with the addition of Final Fantasy 5 on May 5th. It won’t be long before the entire franchise is officially available on Game Pass, which is incentive enough to sign up.

Check out all the games leaving on April 30th. It’s a fairly long list, so either dive into them today or pick them up for 20 percent off:

• Citizen Sleeper (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Creatures of Ava (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Endless Legend 2 (PC)
• Goat Simulator (Cloud and Console)
• Goat Simulator Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Hunt Showdown 1896 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• NHL 24 (EA Play) (Cloud and Console)
• Revenge of the Savage Planet (Cloud, Console, and PC)

The addition of a time limit on Cloud Gaming shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, since services offering the feature, like Nvidia’s GeForce Now, also tend to feature similar limits. Nvidia’s service, for example, gives players 100 hours of gaming per month. Xbox’s Cloud Gaming, on the other hand, has typically featured no such limits.

The decision was likely made as part of new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma’s attempts to make the subscription service more affordable. She had been noted as calling it “too expensive for players” in an internal memo discovered earlier this month.

“Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final one. Short term, Game Pass has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation. Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system, which will take time to test and learn around,” reads the memo.

The tier of Game Pass focused on Xbox Game Studios titles was discovered through datamining efforts last month. The report at the time indicated that it would include games like DOOM 64, Psychonauts, Retro Classics, DOOM Eternal, Dishonored 2, Fable Anniversary, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Gears 5, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2, Hellblade, Ori and the Blind Forest, State of Decay 2, and The Elder Scrolls Online. No references to third-party games were discovered in the files.

A report from March indicated that Sharma has been focused on making the subscription service “more enticing to a broader range of customers.” The same report also indicated that Sharma was having discussions with Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters about the potential for a subscription bundle that included the streaming service along with Game Pass.

“You would have to do it in a way that works for the consumer and works for both companies, and frankly, I think Microsoft’s still trying to figure out how to make the Game Pass bundle work for Microsoft,” said Peters at the time. “But what I like about Asha’s thinking is, it’s all about, ‘How do we do more?’ And it’s already been exciting to watch.”

Game Pass got its last major pricing revision back in October, when Microsoft introduced three tiers for the service – Essential, Premium, and Ultimate. While Essential offers over 50 games and costs $9.99 per month, Premium offers more than 200, with a $14.99 per month price tag. Ultimate became quite a bit more expensive, offering over 400 titles for $29.99 per month, along with promises of more than 75 games available through the service on day one of their release.

The price hike had drawn criticism from several people inside and outside of the industry, including original Microsoft Game Studios co-founder Laura Fryer.