Even inside Xbox, there is now a clear sense that Game Pass in its current form is asking too much from players. According to an internal email obtained by The Verge, Microsoft gaming chief Asha Sharma told employees directly that the service has become too expensive, which is why both short-term and long-term changes are now being prepared.

In that message, Sharma still describes Game Pass as one of Xbox’s core pillars, which means Microsoft is not backing away from the service itself. What she is questioning is whether the current model still delivers the kind of value equation the company wants players to feel. In her words, Game Pass in its current form is not the final version, and a strategy is already being developed that users will start to notice before long. In the short term, the goal is to improve value for money. In the long term, the plan is to evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system, though she also makes it clear that such a transition will take time because it needs to be tested and refined properly.

Sharma did not provide concrete details on what exactly will change over the next few weeks or months. Even so, her message makes it clear that the pricing issue surrounding Game Pass is now being discussed seriously at the highest internal level. She also used the email to acknowledge the recent leaks tied to the service and said she would go deeper into the issue with Xbox employees next week. That could mean not only new strategic directions for the platform, but also fresh internal measures related to information leaks and how Microsoft handles them going forward.

After the Price Hikes, a Course Correction May Be Coming

Game Pass has already gone through a significant wave of price increases, much like many other gaming services in recent months. The major overhaul in 2025 did not just raise the monthly cost of Ultimate and PC Game Pass, but also introduced new plans such as Essential and Premium. On top of that, reports had already surfaced that Microsoft was exploring bundle options with Netflix, which suggested even before this new memo that the company was not treating the current setup as fixed or untouchable.

Based on Sharma’s wording, the new priority is to make the service feel more worthwhile without forcing players to absorb yet another hit to their wallets. The real mystery is what a more flexible system will actually look like in practice. It could mean new pricing tiers, a different structure for access, or alternative subscription models that better reflect how different players use the service. For now, the only thing that seems certain is that Xbox leadership believes the current version of Game Pass needs to change, and Microsoft clearly understands that fine-tuning the service is no longer a side project but a necessity.

Source: 3DJuegos