Microsoft is getting ready to address growing concerns about Game Pass pricing, with an internal memo saying the service has become too expensive for players and needs a better value equation.
Asha Sharma, who sent the note to Xbox employees, said the current model is not the final one and that Microsoft will eventually evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system, though she said it will take time to test and learn around. She also told staff she will go deeper with Xbox employees next week.
The memo, obtained by The Verge, lands after Microsoft raised the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to $29.99 a month last year, a 50 percent increase that the company said was justified by upgrades across all of its Game Pass tiers. Microsoft also added Call of Duty to Game Pass in the summer of 2024, a move that fed the cost pressures now surrounding the service.
Sharma’s message suggests the company is trying to calm the backlash without promising a quick reversal. She referenced online chatter about rumors that Microsoft may be changing Game Pass pricing, but The Verge reported that no immediate price changes should be expected in the coming days.
That leaves Microsoft in a familiar position: defending a price hike it tied to added value while acknowledging the present setup may not hold. The question now is not whether Game Pass will change, but how far Microsoft is willing to go before the next version starts to look very different from the one players have today.
