New Xbox Chief Asha Sharma Says Game Pass Has Become Too Expensive for Players

The price and offerings of Game Pass will probably be re-examined by Xbox chief Asha Sharma, who is likely to consider reconsidering GamePass pricing and offering. The new Microsoft Gaming CEO reportedly said in a recent internal memo to staff that Xbox Game Pass had become ‘too expensive’ for players. The comments of Sharma’s comment on Xbox’S game subscription service come a few months after Microsoft hiked the price of Game Pass Ultimate by 50 percent.

Xbox Boss Says Game Pass is ‘Too Expensive’

The memo, seen by the magazineThe Verge in which Sharma said that Xbox Game Pass had become “too expensive for players,” adding that Microsoft needed to find a “good value equation” of its own choice. Xbox boss ” The company also said it planned to make Game Pass ‘a flexible service for players’.

On Xbox, “Game Pass” is the center of gaming value. And it’s also clear that the current model isn’t the last one,’ Sharma said. We need a better value equation for players, because Game Pass is too expensive to be short term, GamePass. Game Pass will evolve into a more flexible system, which will take some time to test and learn about game pass long term, we’ll be learning around the clock. ” , ‘I’m sure it is worth reading.

According to Sharma’s memo, “the new Xbox chief is reevaluating some of the platform decisions taken by previous leaders” in recent years. Sharma has reportedly done one of the first things that she did after taking over Phil Spencer as Microsoft Gaming CEO in February, to stop the so-called ‘This is an Xbox’ marketing campaign.

Last month, a Microsoft spokesperson told Windows Central last month that “Asha retired ‘This is an Xbox’ because it didn’t feel like Xbox. She personally leads a reset of how we represent ‘brand identity’. Paraphrasingr ’It is.

Game Pass Changes

Sharma’s memo to Xbox staff says that Game Pass is also included in reset as well. In October last year, Microsoft announced a massive 50 percent price hike to Game Pass Ultimate — the service’s top-tier tier of its services — was hit by game pass creator. Also expanded Game Pass offerings by the Xbox parent to justify the higher price tag, he also extended games pass services. The PC Game Pass plan is now available in Essential, Premium and Ultimate tiers with the game subscription service.

The Verge reported earlier this year that Microsoft was considering combining PC Game Pass and GamePass Premium tiers to streamlining its subscription offerings for the Gamepass. In 2026, the company is also said to be preparing for a free tier of ‘ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming’ that would allow Xbox players to access cloud playable games without using obtaining securing.

In addition to the reports, it has been reported Sharma is also considering returning Xbox exclusivity for its first-party games. During Spencer and former Xbox president Sarah Bond, Microsoft dropped exclusivity and pivoted to a multiplatform strategy in 2024. It has since released a number of Xbox exclusive games on PS5 and Nintendo Switch the most recent was Starfield, which finally appeared on PlayStation5 this month.

Sharma will likely share more about her plans for Xbox and first-party games at Xbox Games Showcase in June.