Microsoft reduced the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from £23 ($30) to £17 ($23) and PC Game Pass from £13.50 to £11 last month, which led to increased subscriber acquisitions and better retention, according to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma [1, 2]. She noted, "Growth slowed down and subscriber loss accelerated after the pricing and SKU changes last year. Since our price reduction we have seen acquisitions grow and retention improve, which is a good first step." One result of the price cut was delaying new Call of Duty games on Game Pass Ultimate, with titles arriving roughly a year after launch instead of day one [1, 2].
Xbox recently underwent a rebranding from "Xbox" to "XBOX" following a player poll with nearly 19,000 votes. Approximately 65% preferred the bolder, shoutier styling, leading Microsoft to officially adopt the new branding [1, 3, 2, 4]. Sharma described the rebrand as part of "building a stronger XBOX," stating, "That means making hard choices about what we build, where we invest, and what kind of company we need to be going forward. That is part of what you are starting to see in the shift from Xbox to XBOX." [2]
Sharma ended the recent "This is an Xbox" marketing campaign early in her tenure as part of refocusing efforts [1, 2, 4]. She has warned internal staff to expect "hard choices" ahead as the company determines which products and investments to prioritize under the evolving XBOX brand [1, 2]. Among the new projects supporting the console brand is Project Helix, a PC-console hybrid device aimed at reinvigorating Xbox hardware offerings [1, 2].
Xbox faced criticism for showing competitor logos like PlayStation during its showcases. On May 29, Sharma admitted this was "a miss" and promised future shows would be adjusted to address the feedback [3]. However, Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty said Xbox will continue being transparent by including platform logos for all consoles, including rivals, in its showcases [3, 4]. Booty said, "We'll be very clear about what platforms a game is coming to and want to continue the precedent. I think we've got a good system going where we make it clear in the Showcase." This reflects a tension between acknowledging the error and maintaining transparency in marketing [3, 4].
Microsoft is also reviewing its approach to exclusivity but has not committed to increasing exclusive games yet despite fan interest [2, 4]. The company is still defining its strategy around exclusive content within XBOX.
The next major event is the 2026 Xbox Games Showcase scheduled for June, which plans to continue showing competing platform logos despite the backlash last month [4].
