In 2026, Xbox is undergoing a change. On February 20, the company underwent a major reorganization, resulting in the retirement of Phil Spencer and the resignation of former Xbox president Sarah Bond. Asha Sharma is appointed CEO of Microsoft's gaming division. Two months later today, Asha Sharma announced that the company will abandon the "Microsoft Gaming" brand and fully return to the "Xbox" brand.
In a memo co-written by Asha Sharma and Xbox chief creative officer Matt Booty, they outlined four priorities for the brand going forward. These priorities are hardware, content, experience and services. For services, its overarching goal is to "strengthen Game Pass with clear differentiation and a sustainable economic model."
Executives said: Xbox will be affordable (Affordable) as its core
This statement, co-signed by Asha Sharma and Matt Booty, outlines the core values of Xbox in the future. In the context of the current global economic environment full of uncertainty, Xbox stated that its future strategy around the next-generation console Project Helix will focus on "affordable prices" and "player choice."
The statement read: "Xbox is committed to creating an affordable, personalized and open gaming experience. We will provide flexible pricing plans to make it easy for players to get started and keep playing. The gaming experience will adjust to your preferences, allowing you to customize how you play, find what you want, and Meet like-minded friends. We'll be open to all creators, from individual developers to large studios, giving everyone the tools to reach a global audience and help their games continue to grow."
Elevate Game. The Pass price is affordable and allows players to have choices
Recently, it was reported that Xbox is considering adopting a more flexible pay-as-you-go model for Game Pass, allowing players to choose subscription content according to their own needs. Although this was not explicitly confirmed in the memo, it is reported that they hope that the Game Pass brand will be centered on affordability and user personalized choices.
Speaking of subscription services, Sharma has recently lowered the price of the highest-end Xbox Game Pass subscription membership.
