Xbox Executives Expand on Future of Game Pass and Xbox: “Aim For Quality”

Xbox executives, Asha Sharma and Matt Booty, recently publicly released an internal memo in which they detailed the upcoming changes to the Xbox Games strategy, revealing that Microsoft would be reevaluating its approach to Xbox exclusive games and further addressing the viability and value proposition of Game Pass. The memo also addressed the future of Xbox hardware, stating that Project Helix would lead in performance and that the short-term goal was to work on the shortcomings of the Xbox Series X|S consoles to make them more attractive for gamers. Sharma and Booty also recently spoke to The Game File in an interview and divulged more of what those plans meant for the future of Xbox.

Addressing Game Pass first, Sharma said that the recent price cut applied to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass were the first steps toward attracting more players who will stick around long-term. The CEO went on to say that the executives have been rethinking the Game Pass approach, commenting that, aside from making it more affordable, they are evaluating how value looks in the context of the modern gaming landscape and the rapidly changing world. Matt Booty, Chief Content Officer, commented that Microsoft would be working on the games coming out of Xbox Game Studios, so that it could deliver a predictable cadence with a robust roadmap, and that it would “aim for quality.”

On the topic of console hardware, Sharma said that Xbox Gaming wants to “make sure that all of our performance and reliability and quality is great,” and that it is “investing in it as a first-class experience again.” It seems as though this means a focus on console features and regular updates, starting with Gen 9, the Series X|S consoles. Apparently no long-term decisions have been made about console exclusives, and Sharma wants to “take a data-driven approach” and will share more when a decision has been made. It should be noted that Microsoft has seen success with its PS5 game ports, even when they were only ported to the PS5 years after the initial launch.

Since she took over Xbox Gaming from Phil Spencer earlier in 2026, Sharma has been talking about a “return to Xbox,” and in the interview, she explained a little more abut that, stating that the goal was to “restore the core fundamentals of our product and console,” and “increase our strength on PC.” She again spoke about overhauling discovery and search. Sharma notes that “pricing is getting harder for people to keep up with,” and that “you have to earn every player every day, every hour.” She also emphasized that Xbox wants to make the platform “open for more people to create on the platform and more players to participate in customizing and extending that.”

By the sounds of it, it seems as though the Xbox gaming may become cheaper overall, and that may extend to game pricing, but rumors still linger of a very pricey Xbox Helix console coming around 2027 or 2028. The way Sharma mentions PC and Xbox in the same breath also suggests that there may be credence to the rumors that PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass may eventually merge into one service.