Xbox chief flags Game Pass pricing concerns

Microsoft’s new Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma has reportedly acknowledged that the Xbox Game Pass subscription has become too expensive, according to a leaked internal memo.

Sharma, who has been in the role for only a few months, addressed employees about the current pricing model of Game Pass and signaled potential changes ahead, News.Az reports, citing The Verge.

“Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final one,” Sharma reportedly said. “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.”

Microsoft has increased the price of Game Pass twice within the past 15 months, leading many users to feel the service has become too costly to maintain. Despite this, Xbox continues to offer a broad catalog of games. The April update is set to include indie titles such as Hades 2 and the new Double Fine project Kiln, alongside major releases like the remake of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Sources cited by The Verge suggested that the addition of the Call of Duty franchise may have contributed to the recent price increases, as Microsoft could face revenue losses by including newly released titles in the subscription service.

It remains unclear whether Sharma’s memo signals a broader turnaround for Xbox. While the company could introduce improvements, such as more flexible pricing models, there is also the possibility that additional subscription tiers could complicate the service and limit its appeal. Still, the internal acknowledgment of pricing concerns marks a notable shift following a series of controversial decisions in recent years.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev