Xbox Game Pass is "too expensive", says Xbox in leaked memo – could potentially change pricing again

The new CEO of Xbox has divulged to staff that she thinks Xbox Game Pass is "too expensive for players".

A leaked internal memo reveals that Asha Sharma is no fan of the price rises pushed through last year, and suggests she will look to adjust them again. This could lead to cheaper Game Pass tiers and a reworking of the subscription model.

As revealed by The Verge, Sharma wrote to employees to say that the service needs to change to become better value: "Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final one," she wrote.

"Short term, 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."

Since October last year, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has been priced at £22.99 / $29.99 / €26.99 per month – around 50% more than it was before. It includes access to a library of more than 400 games (on Xbox and PC), day one releases, Xbox Cloud Gaming, EA Play, Ubisoft+ Classics, and Fortnite Crew membership but is still a big financial commitment, especially during a cost of living crisis.

Xbox Game Pass Premium is a cheaper option, at £10.99 / $14.99 / €12.99 per month, but that has a truncated library and fewer benefits. You don't get the day one games, for example, although you can still play games on multiple devices through Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Then there's Xbox Game Pass Essential at £6.99 / $9.99 / €8.99 per month, but that limits you to just 50 or so curated games.

The Verge suggests that one way to reduce the price of an Ultimate subscription would be to ditch adding new Call of Duty releases going forward. It is believed that the addition of Call of Duty games to the platform was the incentive behind the price hikes.

Another alternative is to offer Xbox Cloud Gaming separately – something that has been rumoured before. That way, owners of devices other than Xbox consoles don't have to pay for benefits they won't use, and Xbox console owners can opt to add it if needed.

Either way, it seems that Sharma plans to introduce a new Game Pass strategy, and if it results in a cheaper/better value service before Project Helix arrives, we're all for it.