Microsoft Gaming’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, has herself admitted that Xbox Game Pass “has become too expensive for players” and promised that changes are coming to create a “better value equation.” This wouldn’t be a big surprise, as a report from March said Sharma might try to make Game Pass less expensive.
“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,” she said in a memo obtained by The Verge.
In October 2025, Microsoft raised the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $30, which represented a 50% price hike. The Verge reported that the reason Microsoft raised the price was a result of adding new Call of Duty releases to Game Pass at launch. This reporting came days after Windows Central reporter Jez Corden said it’s possible Microsoft might take Call of Duty out of Game Pass beginning this year.
