Newly appointed Xbox boss Asha Sharma wants to make Xbox Game Pass more affordable following last year’s massive price hike.
Asha Sharma took over from Phil Spencer as Chief Executive Officer Of Microsoft Gamer last month and over the weekend, attended her first Game Developers Conference since starting the new job.
According to a report from The Information, Sharma spoke to a number of individuals at the conference about the future of Xbox. They claimed that she wants to “make future consoles and products like Game Pass more enticing to a broader range of customers,” and is looking at “revamping pricing models to offer lower-priced tiers” (via IGN).
Last year, former Xbox boss Sarah Bond said the next-gen Xbox console “is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience,” with speculation that ‘Project Helix’ could cost at least $1000.
LUCKY YOU. we’ve got another batch on the way 🍀https://t.co/D77ErVBY92 pic.twitter.com/hj7ulN2E3o
— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) March 17, 2026
Microsoft also gave Xbox Game Pass a massive price hike in October. Previously the most expensive Xbox Game Pass tier would have set players back £14.99 a month but Microsoft are now charging £29.99 for Ultimate. “Our goal with Game Pass has been clear: deliver unmatched value, benefits, and a deep library of games for our players,” explained a blog post from Microsoft. “We know not everyone wants the same thing in their Xbox experience, so we’re evolving Game Pass to offer more flexibility, choice, and value to all players.”
Defending the price hike, Microsoft’s Director of Gaming and Platform Communications Dustin Blackwell explained: “We understand price increases are never fun for anybody, but we’re trying to reinforce by adding more value to these plans as well,” he explained. “It’s something we don’t take lightly, and we’re listening to the feedback of players and the community to try to provide them with more of what they’re asking for.” While Microsoft doesn’t share Xbox Game Pass subscriber numbers, a lot of players have said they quit the service after the cost went up.
As part of the discussion about making Game Pass more affordable, Netflix CEO Greg Peters has also said he’s met with Sharma and they have “kicked around ideas” for subscription bundle partnerships.
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