Asha Sharma has recently taken on the role of CEO of Xbox following Phil Spencer’s departure, which has generated expectations regarding the future direction of the company. In a message to employees, Sharma acknowledged that the current price of Game Pass is excessive, suggesting the urgent need to improve the value of the service and to seek a more flexible long-term model.
A service that does not deliver what it costs
Since the price increase in October, Game Pass Ultimate has risen from 17.99 to 26.99 euros and PC Game Pass from 11.99 to 14.99 euros, representing an increase of more than 40% in all territories. This rise has led many players to question the sustainability of the service, as access to high-quality titles can become expensive. Sharma has emphasized the importance of Game Pass in the Xbox ecosystem, noting that its current model is not definitive.
It is rumored that Xbox may be considering a new subscription tier that would restrict access solely to first-party titles. This move could drastically reduce the available library from approximately 400-500 games to between 80 and 120, focusing on the most prominent titles and many of the new releases in the service. However, concrete plans regarding this have not yet been confirmed.
Additionally, Sharma is credited with the decision to resume the Fan Fest for this summer, despite the fact that an edition was already held in 2025 during Gamescom. There has also been a notable reduction in the “This is an Xbox” campaign, which has lost momentum in recent months. With these decisions, Sharma is expected to pave a new path for Xbox in an increasingly competitive market.
