Seismic Shifts: Did a Megadeal and a Price Hike Just Change Gaming Forever?
Blogs
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October 3, 2025
The ground in gaming is moving. In just a few weeks, two massive events shook the industry and left players, developers, and analysts wondering what the future looks like. First, Electronic Arts was bought by a Saudi private investment fund in a multi-billion dollar deal. Then Microsoft raised the price of Game Pass Ultimate by 50 percent.
These aren’t random headlines. They’re part of a bigger transformation that is reshaping who owns the games we play and how we pay to access them. On the Player Driven podcast, Colin from Mind Game Data and Louis Ward, who has spent over 15 years covering games and XR, broke it all down.
EA’s Sale: Shock or Inevitable?
When the news hit that EA was being bought, the community was stunned. Madden, Battlefield, The Sims, now under new ownership. But for insiders, it wasn’t a total surprise. As Colin put it, EA has been shopping itself around for years, with names like Disney and Amazon often in the rumor mill.
The deal itself is layered. The Saudi PIF brings the long-term capital and influence. Private equity groups step in to “optimize,” which usually means cuts. And the Kushner connection adds political grease to keep things moving smoothly.
What does this mean for gamers? One juicy possibility is the return of the FIFA license. Saudi Arabia is set to host the World Cup in 2034. Combine that with owning the biggest soccer game publisher in the world and the puzzle pieces almost snap together. This is another sign of the global consolidation wave, where legacy publishers are being pulled into the orbit of massive cross-industry giants.
The Price of Game Pass: Still a Deal or the Beginning of the End?
While people were still reeling from EA’s sale, Microsoft dropped its own bombshell. Game Pass Ultimate is jumping by ten dollars. For years, it was the unbeatable deal in gaming. Now, the math feels different.
Greg Posner put it simply: every subscription model eventually raises prices. Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, it’s the rule, not the exception. Better games require better labor, and that means paying talent what they deserve. In this light, the hike is about sustaining the model, not breaking it.
But Colin sees it differently. He argued this is proof that putting the biggest titles like Call of Duty on Game Pass day one is unsustainable. You sell fewer copies, you burn revenue, and eventually you have to fill the gap somewhere. Louis added that Microsoft is still playing the long game. The higher tiers make room for future cheaper plans, like a five-dollar ad-supported mobile option, which could help them reach their hundred million subscriber targets.
The Tinfoil Hat Theory: Is Gaming Just a Side Quest for Microsoft?
Here’s where the conversation took a sharp turn. Colin floated a theory that Microsoft’s real play is no longer gaming…it’s AI.
The original Xbox cloud push was all about scaling Azure. But AI has changed the equation. Wall Street now values Microsoft almost entirely on its AI potential. If Xbox disappeared tomorrow, investors wouldn’t blink.
Does that mean Microsoft could one day spin off gaming altogether? It sounds wild, but the logic is there. Free up capital, double down on AI, and let someone else deal with the economics of blockbuster games.
Louis pushed back. He pointed out that Xbox still gives Microsoft cultural cachet. It’s a brand that keeps them connected to younger generations and a proving ground for new technology. Killing that golden goose might not be as easy as it sounds.
Where This Leaves Us
The EA sale and the Game Pass price hike are more than news stories. They’re milestones in a bigger shift. Global capital is changing who controls the industry. Subscription economics are being tested in real time. Tech giants are rethinking where gaming fits in their broader strategies.
For players, the future is going to be more expensive and more uncertain. The first stress test comes this fall when Battlefield 6 lines up against Call of Duty. Both franchises now live under new realities. How that battle plays out may give us the clearest signal yet of just how far the ground has shifted.
These aren’t random headlines. They’re part of a bigger transformation that is reshaping who owns the games we play and how we pay to access them. On the Player Driven podcast, Colin from Mind Game Data and Louis Ward, who has spent over 15 years covering games and XR, broke it all down.
EA’s Sale: Shock or Inevitable?
When the news hit that EA was being bought, the community was stunned. Madden, Battlefield, The Sims, now under new ownership. But for insiders, it wasn’t a total surprise. As Colin put it, EA has been shopping itself around for years, with names like Disney and Amazon often in the rumor mill.
The deal itself is layered. The Saudi PIF brings the long-term capital and influence. Private equity groups step in to “optimize,” which usually means cuts. And the Kushner connection adds political grease to keep things moving smoothly.
What does this mean for gamers? One juicy possibility is the return of the FIFA license. Saudi Arabia is set to host the World Cup in 2034. Combine that with owning the biggest soccer game publisher in the world and the puzzle pieces almost snap together. This is another sign of the global consolidation wave, where legacy publishers are being pulled into the orbit of massive cross-industry giants.
The Price of Game Pass: Still a Deal or the Beginning of the End?
While people were still reeling from EA’s sale, Microsoft dropped its own bombshell. Game Pass Ultimate is jumping by ten dollars. For years, it was the unbeatable deal in gaming. Now, the math feels different.
Greg Posner put it simply: every subscription model eventually raises prices. Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, it’s the rule, not the exception. Better games require better labor, and that means paying talent what they deserve. In this light, the hike is about sustaining the model, not breaking it.
But Colin sees it differently. He argued this is proof that putting the biggest titles like Call of Duty on Game Pass day one is unsustainable. You sell fewer copies, you burn revenue, and eventually you have to fill the gap somewhere. Louis added that Microsoft is still playing the long game. The higher tiers make room for future cheaper plans, like a five-dollar ad-supported mobile option, which could help them reach their hundred million subscriber targets.
The Tinfoil Hat Theory: Is Gaming Just a Side Quest for Microsoft?
Here’s where the conversation took a sharp turn. Colin floated a theory that Microsoft’s real play is no longer gaming…it’s AI.
The original Xbox cloud push was all about scaling Azure. But AI has changed the equation. Wall Street now values Microsoft almost entirely on its AI potential. If Xbox disappeared tomorrow, investors wouldn’t blink.
Does that mean Microsoft could one day spin off gaming altogether? It sounds wild, but the logic is there. Free up capital, double down on AI, and let someone else deal with the economics of blockbuster games.
Louis pushed back. He pointed out that Xbox still gives Microsoft cultural cachet. It’s a brand that keeps them connected to younger generations and a proving ground for new technology. Killing that golden goose might not be as easy as it sounds.
Where This Leaves Us
The EA sale and the Game Pass price hike are more than news stories. They’re milestones in a bigger shift. Global capital is changing who controls the industry. Subscription economics are being tested in real time. Tech giants are rethinking where gaming fits in their broader strategies.
For players, the future is going to be more expensive and more uncertain. The first stress test comes this fall when Battlefield 6 lines up against Call of Duty. Both franchises now live under new realities. How that battle plays out may give us the clearest signal yet of just how far the ground has shifted.
These aren’t random headlines. They’re part of a bigger transformation that is reshaping who owns the games we play and how we pay to access them. On the Player Driven podcast, Colin from Mind Game Data and Louis Ward, who has spent over 15 years covering games and XR, broke it all down.
EA’s Sale: Shock or Inevitable?
When the news hit that EA was being bought, the community was stunned. Madden, Battlefield, The Sims, now under new ownership. But for insiders, it wasn’t a total surprise. As Colin put it, EA has been shopping itself around for years, with names like Disney and Amazon often in the rumor mill.
The deal itself is layered. The Saudi PIF brings the long-term capital and influence. Private equity groups step in to “optimize,” which usually means cuts. And the Kushner connection adds political grease to keep things moving smoothly.
What does this mean for gamers? One juicy possibility is the return of the FIFA license. Saudi Arabia is set to host the World Cup in 2034. Combine that with owning the biggest soccer game publisher in the world and the puzzle pieces almost snap together. This is another sign of the global consolidation wave, where legacy publishers are being pulled into the orbit of massive cross-industry giants.
The Price of Game Pass: Still a Deal or the Beginning of the End?
While people were still reeling from EA’s sale, Microsoft dropped its own bombshell. Game Pass Ultimate is jumping by ten dollars. For years, it was the unbeatable deal in gaming. Now, the math feels different.
Greg Posner put it simply: every subscription model eventually raises prices. Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, it’s the rule, not the exception. Better games require better labor, and that means paying talent what they deserve. In this light, the hike is about sustaining the model, not breaking it.
But Colin sees it differently. He argued this is proof that putting the biggest titles like Call of Duty on Game Pass day one is unsustainable. You sell fewer copies, you burn revenue, and eventually you have to fill the gap somewhere. Louis added that Microsoft is still playing the long game. The higher tiers make room for future cheaper plans, like a five-dollar ad-supported mobile option, which could help them reach their hundred million subscriber targets.
The Tinfoil Hat Theory: Is Gaming Just a Side Quest for Microsoft?
Here’s where the conversation took a sharp turn. Colin floated a theory that Microsoft’s real play is no longer gaming…it’s AI.
The original Xbox cloud push was all about scaling Azure. But AI has changed the equation. Wall Street now values Microsoft almost entirely on its AI potential. If Xbox disappeared tomorrow, investors wouldn’t blink.
Does that mean Microsoft could one day spin off gaming altogether? It sounds wild, but the logic is there. Free up capital, double down on AI, and let someone else deal with the economics of blockbuster games.
Louis pushed back. He pointed out that Xbox still gives Microsoft cultural cachet. It’s a brand that keeps them connected to younger generations and a proving ground for new technology. Killing that golden goose might not be as easy as it sounds.
Where This Leaves Us
The EA sale and the Game Pass price hike are more than news stories. They’re milestones in a bigger shift. Global capital is changing who controls the industry. Subscription economics are being tested in real time. Tech giants are rethinking where gaming fits in their broader strategies.
For players, the future is going to be more expensive and more uncertain. The first stress test comes this fall when Battlefield 6 lines up against Call of Duty. Both franchises now live under new realities. How that battle plays out may give us the clearest signal yet of just how far the ground has shifted.
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