Leaked Memo by CEO Says Xbox Game Pass Is Too Expensive
Apparently, gamers aren’t the only ones who thinks the Xbox Game Pass is too expensive. A leaked memo says Xbox’s CEO also agrees with that sentiment.
Reported on April 13, Asha Sharma told staff that the Xbox Game Pass has “become too expensive for players,” and said the subscription service is going to change.
Last year, gamers saw the restructure of Xbox’s Game Pass. With the restructure, the price for the Ultimate tier jumped up to $30 a month, which shocked the community after the pass was already $20 a month. The essential tier went to $10, and the Premium went to $20.
Apparently, the jump was disliked so much that gamers proceeded to cancel their subscription, which resulted in the page crashing.
Now, it seems like Sharma is ready to recognize the price hike. According to The Verge, a leaked memo went over Sharma’s thoughts on the Game Pass, saying, “Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final one. 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.”
This is great news to hear, as Xbox’s Game Pass was often highly recommended to gamers. Xbox Game Pass subscribers are offered various games on consoles and PCs, including Day One Game Pass releases from Microsoft. The games range from well-known franchises like Call of Duty to cozy indie games like Tiny Bookshop.
However, with the recent price hike, it’s not worthwhile for many gamers anymore. If you’re someone who can utilize the bonuses every day, then the price might not be too bad. But for casual gamers, it’s not worth the expense.
In the Ultimate tier, the bonuses include Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft + Classics for the first time, enhanced Cloud Gaming, Rewards with Xbox, and more.
However, it’s unclear if this is actually going to come to fruition. While Sharma has taken over as the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, this doesn’t mean the price change will happen soon, or at all. At the very least, Sharma advocating for a more affordable price range and more flexibility means that they’re at least thinking about better options.
Hopefully, we’ll see a price change here soon, and then an eventual complete restructure of the Game Pass later, so gamers can hop back into Xbox’s subscription service. One big rumor hanging over this news is Call of Duty. Recent news, reported by Vice, says Microsoft may be removing the Call of Duty franchise from its Game Pass subscription.
Having the Call of Duty franchise in the Game Pass is a huge incentive. It’s one of the biggest franchises out there, and if that gets removed from the Game Pass, that will likely lower the price of the subscription; however, it might not bring people back to the service at all.
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