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Xbox Game Pass Lost Millions of Subscribers After Price Hike, New CEO Says

The admission of a multi-million subscriber loss from a price hike, followed by a price rollback and a pivot back to console exclusives, signals a strategic reversal for Xbox under new leadership after years of pushing multi-platform releases.

Key Facts

  • Xbox Game Pass lost millions of subscribers after a price overhaul in October 2025, Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball disclosed at Summer Game Fest 2026 on June 8.
  • The top-tier Ultimate plan nearly doubled in Japan from ¥1,450 to ¥2,750 per month in October 2025, and was reduced to ¥1,550 per month in April 2026.
  • New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, in a Fortune interview published June 10, acknowledged the price increase made the service unaffordable and said subscriber numbers are now returning to growth.
  • Sharma outlined a return to Xbox console exclusives, calling it 'a path we must take' for the platform's survival, starting with a few representative exclusive titles.
  • Titles already announced for multi-platform release will launch as originally planned, Sharma said.

Reporting from 6 sources: GAME Watch (Impress), Denfaminicogamer, Automaton, GameBusiness.jp, and 2 more.

Xbox Game Pass Lost Millions of Subscribers After Price Hike, New CEO Says

Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball revealed at Summer Game Fest 2026 that Xbox Game Pass lost millions of subscribers following a price overhaul in October 2025. The top-tier Ultimate plan nearly doubled in Japan from ¥1,450 to ¥2,750 per month. New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, in a Fortune interview published June 10, acknowledged the price increase made the service unaffordable and said subscriber numbers are now returning to growth after a price cut in April 2026 reduced Ultimate to ¥1,550 per month. Sharma also outlined a return to Xbox console exclusives, calling it a necessary path for the platform. He said the company will start with a few representative exclusive titles and plans more as the business improves. Sharma noted that titles already announced for multi-platform release will launch as originally planned.

Ball made the disclosure during a lecture at Summer Game Fest 2026 on June 8, as reported by GamesRadar+. Geoff Keighley, the event host, also shared the figure on X. Ball joined Microsoft as CSO on May 21 and is known for publishing the annual industry report "The State of Video Gaming." He was likely not involved in the October 2025 price revision due to timing, but will be responsible for the service's turnaround.

The October 2025 overhaul did not only affect the Ultimate plan. The "Standard" plan at ¥1,100 was replaced by the "Premium" plan at ¥1,300, and the "Core" plan at ¥842 was replaced by the "Essential" plan at ¥850. The PC-oriented "PC Game Pass" rose from ¥990 to ¥1,550 per month. Benefits also changed across all tiers.

In the Fortune interview, Sharma outlined three pledges for his first 100 days as CEO: "protect great games, drive Xbox's revival, and talk about the future of gaming." He described the showcase as featuring two new exclusive titles and a 25th-anniversary special edition console. Sharma said subscriber numbers are now increasing and user retention is starting to improve. He added, "This summer, we plan to take further steps to meet the needs of all types of players and offer more flexible services."

On the return to exclusives, Sharma said, "We'll start with a few representative exclusive titles, and as the business improves, we want to do more." He called the shift "a path we must take" for the platform's survival. He noted that Xbox CCO Matt Booty previously said exclusivity decisions would be made case by case. Sharma's first video game was "Star Fox," and his first game on Xbox was "Halo."

Synthesized by Yomimono from the 6 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.

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