Xbox Game Pass' recent price cut is "working," CEO Asha Sharma says

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma says April’s Xbox Game Pass price cuts are already boosting subscriber growth and retention, calling them “a good first step” but stressing they’re only the beginning of broader changes to the service.

• In an internal memo shared by The Verge, Sharma admits that “growth slowed down and subscriber loss accelerated” after the big October 2025 price hikes that pushed Game Pass Ultimate up to $29.99 a month, which she says made the service “too expensive for players.”
• Last month, Xbox announced that it had reduced the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $22.99, with changes also coming to PC Game Pass, but removed day one access to new Call of Duty games, which will now arrive on Game Pass about a year after release instead.
• While noting that the company won’t solve its revenue problems “in one moment or one launch,” it has “seen acquisitions grow and retention improve” since the price cuts. “We are building a stronger XBOX. That means making hard choices about what we build, where we invest, and what kind of company we need to be going forward,” Sharma wrote. “That is part of what you are starting to see in the shift from Xbox to XBOX. It reflects a decision to be deliberate in how we show up for the players who care most about this brand.”