An Xbox Game Pass price increase to $29.99 per month last year apparently led to “millions” of subscribers abandoning the service, according to the company. Throughout the last console generation, Xbox Game Pass has become the lynchpin of Microsoft’s video game strategy. The subscription service began to include every first-party game released by the company on launch day, as well as offering access to other day one games and specific perks.

Earlier this year, Asha Sharma took over as Xbox CEO, replacing Phil Spencer. Sharma wasted no time making changes at the company, many of which have already been well-regarded by users. From changes to achievements, to how exclusivity is handled for first-party games, it’s clear Sharma is looking to the Xbox audience to find out how to move forward, and make the company more competitive against PlayStation, Nintendo, and Steam.While Xbox Game Pass saw multiple price increases over the years, a shift last year seemingly went too far for many users. In an interview with GameSpot, Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball claimed that the service lost “millions” of subscribers in the months following the price increase to $29.99. Xbox Game Pass received a price drop this year, with the caveat that Call of Duty games will no longer be added to the service on day one. Ball went on to say that some of the changes are “resonating” with Xbox users. However, he did not mention if the company had seen lapsed users return to the service.It’s unclear if more changes should be expected from Xbox Game Pass. Although Call of Duty games won’t be arriving on day one, subscribers are still being treated to big games on their release day. Xbox Game Pass just revealed 17 new games on the way, including titles like Halo: Campaign Evolved, Spyro: A Realm Beyond, and Fable. The price drop for the service is one way to draw users back, but having high-quality games will be another key element.One of the biggest complaints about Xbox Series X/S over the last few years is that the systems simply didn’t have enough exclusive titles to justify buying one. It’s clear things are starting to shift in that regard, and Xbox has been reevaluating its multi-platform strategy. The decision to put former Xbox exclusive franchises on platforms like PS5 and Switch did not sit well with many fans, and it seems the company’s new leadership is well aware of that fact. In the short term, putting major franchises on other platforms helped games recoup their development costs, but it may have also hurt the chances of people buying an Xbox console, or subscribing to Game Pass. It might be too late for Xbox to lure in new users during the current console generation. However, the company has a new system on the way, currently known as Project Helix. Getting people to purchase the system is going to require that Xbox retain its most passionate users, while also winning over newcomers. It won’t be an easy task, and winning back Xbox Game Pass subscribers is part of the battle. It’s been a very tough few years for the company, but things seem to be on a better track than they have in a long time.