Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said Microsoft's gaming division plans to introduce a more flexible system. xbox game pass A product that better accommodates different types of players. Sharma previously made headlines when he lowered the price of his Xbox Game Pass subscription for April 2026, which was generally well-received by gamers. However, the price reduction resulted in a notable trade-off. call of duty The title will no longer be included as a first release on the service.
Xbox Game Pass currently offers four subscription options: Ultimate, Premium, Essential, and PC-only tiers. Essential is the cheapest plan at $9.99 per month, while Ultimate is the most expensive at $22.99 per month. Recently, several rumors have circulated that additional plans and subscription tiers may be added to the lineup. And Sharma's latest comments may lend further credibility to the report.
Xbox has revealed it will lose a huge number of Game Pass subscriptions due to its 2025 price hike.
Xbox Game Pass appears to have far fewer subscribers than it used to, thanks to a major price increase that occurred in 2025.
Xbox CEO hints at new Game Pass product coming this summer
“We will be working harder this summer to create a more flexible product that meets the needs of all types of players,” Asha Sharma said in a recent interview with YouTube channel Fortune Conversations. The new Xbox CEO did not elaborate on how these services could impact the future of Xbox Game Pass. However, many interpreted her comments as a hint about a new subscription tier. This could potentially be similar to the rumored Game Pass Starter edition, which is said to be a low-cost tier bundled with Discord Nitro. However, for now, these remain unconfirmed reports and it is unclear what the flexible product will look like in the future.
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Game Pass may not be the only part of Microsoft's gaming business expected to change in the near future, according to Sharma's comments. She said the company will continue to explore new business models for its Xbox consoles, arguing that the industry needs more than simply providing the best, highest-performance console possible.
Sharma also noted that it is increasingly difficult for mass-market audiences to imagine spending thousands of dollars on a single console generation, suggesting that the gaming industry could see a “dramatically different business model” emerge this year. Her comments are even more significant given that Microsoft has already confirmed that it is currently developing its next-generation Xbox console, codenamed Project Helix.
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Sharma also reiterated his comments about Xbox Game Pass's previous price increase, saying the service had “simply become too unaffordable.” She added that Xbox “could see growth again in Game Pass.” This claim is also reflected in a recent memo sent to Xbox team employees. In the memo, Sharma wrote, “Our Game Pass team has set to work fixing our product and after more than eight months of decline, our service is starting to grow again.”
But Sharma's plans for Xbox's future, also outlined in the memo, suggest layoffs at Microsoft's gaming division are imminent. She pointed out that over the past five years, the division has spent more than $20 billion on ongoing investments, while annual revenue has fallen by nearly $500 million. That said, one of the encouraging things about Sharma's remarks is that she said, “Game Pass is the heart of gaming.” This suggests that Microsoft remains committed to its subscription service and will likely continue to invest in its future.
