Despite fears that Asha Sharma would harm the Xbox brand after being named chief executive and replacing Phil Spencer, it actually seems the new head of the company is doing wonders for consumers. Game Pass' price was knocked down, and now Sharma wants to establish a new approach to keep Game Pass affordable for users and maintain its viability on the market. Sharma said this and more in an interview for Game File, saying that Xbox is aiming to reduce Game Pass prices further and make its pricing more flexible. She said affordability is a primary concern for Xbox under her leadership, which will not only be reflected in Game Pass but also in how Xbox approaches devices and software in general."I want to continue to make sure, as we build hardware, software, services, we’re spending just as much time on performance and playtime as we are on making sure that we can innovate to offer more affordable devices and hardware and services," she said. Sharma is focusing heavily on keeping Game Pass affordable and viable for consumers and the business. Image via Xbox"Historically," Sharma said, "our pricing hasn't been as flexible." The Game Pass's price reached $29.99 per month last year, following a trend of cost hikes across the subscription world. "You saw that with Game Pass. It had become too expensive. So we took a step to address that," she added.Focusing on affordability gave rise to a new line of thinking, which Sharma describes as a "two-step process," that'll enable Game Pass to stay affordable but also be reevaluated over time to keep it viable for players and the company alike. "One is just, let's make sure it's affordable, which we addressed. The second is, what does value look like eight years later after the advent of Game Pass and the world changing around us and the next generation coming online? And so we're exploring a number of different things," Sharma explained. "I want to make sure that people around the world are able to play," she concluded, adding that she isn't making any promises about future price targets or points because "a reality to the market we're in" also has a tendency to affect businesses in unpredictable ways.We recently covered how Xbox is likely prepping to launch new Game Pass tiers that'll be entirely customizable, i.e., they'll allow you to pick and choose which features you want included in your plan, giving you a tailored price and experience without any bloat. That seems to align with what Sharma has in store for the Xbox brand, but of course, we can't know for certain until we actually see it, because believing promises is a thing of the past when it comes to AAA gaming. The post ‘Let’s make sure it’s affordable:’ Xbox chief Asha Sharma sets lodestar for Game Pass appeared first on Destructoid.