Xbox’s New Chief Asha Sharma Reportedly Wants Cheaper Game Pass Tiers to Broaden Xbox’s Reach
Microsoft Gaming may be preparing to rethink Xbox Game Pass pricing under new leadership. According to a report from The Information, new Microsoft Gaming chief executive officer Asha Sharma is exploring ways to make Xbox and Game Pass “more enticing to a broader range of customers,” including the possibility of lower priced subscription tiers. Multiple outlets summarizing the report say the effort is part of Sharma’s broader push to help restore momentum to the Xbox brand after taking over the role in February 2026.
That idea lands at an especially important moment for Game Pass. Microsoft’s official Game Pass pages currently show plans starting at 9.99 dollars per month, while the service’s broader pricing structure was overhauled in late 2025, including a much more expensive top end tier. Xbox’s October 2025 update moved Ultimate to 29.99 dollars per month and reshaped the lineup around Essential, Premium, and PC Game Pass options, a change that drew a lot of attention because of how much more expensive the highest tier became.
If Microsoft really is considering lower priced tiers now, it would represent a meaningful strategic pivot after a period where the company was mostly asking users to pay more for broader access. That does not necessarily mean current plans will get direct price cuts. The more likely scenario, based on the reporting, is that Microsoft could introduce new entry points below existing tiers to reach customers who find the current lineup too expensive or too complicated. This is an inference from the reported wording around “lower priced tiers,” not a confirmed final pricing plan.
There is also a second reported angle that could make the move much more interesting. The same wave of reporting says Microsoft is looking at repackaging Game Pass with other services, potentially including Netflix. GameDeveloper reported that Netflix co chief executive Greg Peters said he “wouldn’t eliminate any possibilities” when asked about a potential partnership with Xbox, suggesting at least some openness to subscription bundling discussions. That does not confirm a deal, but it does show the idea is being entertained publicly.
If that happens, Microsoft would be pushing Game Pass further toward an entertainment bundle rather than just a game subscription. That could make strategic sense given how many Xbox users also treat their console as a streaming and media hub. A lower priced Game Pass tier bundled with a mainstream video service could help Xbox compete more on ecosystem value, especially with customers who are less interested in paying premium gaming only prices every month. This is an inference based on the reported bundling discussions and Microsoft’s current subscription positioning.
There is still a lot we do not know. Microsoft has not officially announced new lower priced Game Pass tiers, has not confirmed any Netflix bundle, and has not outlined whether a cheaper offering would come with ads, fewer day one releases, reduced cloud access, or other tradeoffs. For now, the clearest takeaway is that Sharma appears to be looking for ways to widen Xbox’s appeal rather than simply continue the recent pattern of pushing pricing upward. After the last major Game Pass changes, that alone is a notable shift in tone.
Would a cheaper Game Pass tier actually make Xbox more attractive to you, or would it depend entirely on what Microsoft cuts out to hit the lower price?
