- Former PlayStation exec Shawn Layden suggested Xbox couldn’t save Game Pass
- Layden said Xbox is “working to keep this healthy” despite the current issues.
- This comes after a leaked memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma revealed plans to “scale” the “expensive” service.
Former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden has suggested that Microsoft can’t save Xbox Game Pass, following comments from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma about wanting to “evolve” the service.
Earlier this week, a leaked memo to employees, obtained and reported by The Verge, showed Sharma admitting that the subscription service is now too expensive for members, as she laid out a brief plan for how she plans to change things, writing: “Game Pass is at the heart of the value of gaming on Xbox. It is also clear that the current model is not the last.
“In the short term, Game Pass has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation. In the long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system, one that will take time to test and learn.”
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Now, in a new post on LinkedIn, Layden responded to the report by saying that Microsoft was trying too hard to keep Xbox Game Pass alive, suggesting that the company couldn’t save it.
“They are trying hard to make this impact health, despite unfavorable diagnoses and a poor prognosis,” Layden said. “A clarifying autopsy would do good for the entire industry.”
Layden has been critical of subscription models for some time, calling them a “danger” to the industry that turns developers into “wage slaves” (via Games Industry).
In the same report from The Verge, it was said that Call of Duty and the release of Black Ops 7 was a major contributor to Microsoft increasing the price of Game Pass again in October 2025.
Currently, the Ultimate tier costs members $29.99/£22.99 per month, down from $19.99/£14.99 per month. It also appears that the company is considering combining the Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscription tiers, which could mean some users would pay more each month.
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