Yesterday, the new head of Xbox, Asha Sharma, announced that Game Pass subscriptions have begun to rebound since the price was slashed significantly in April. However, that's just one of the countless things she's managed to accomplish during her three months on the job (we have a recent article about it here, but she's moving so fast that it already feels somewhat outdated).
Now, the analytics firm YouGov, which regularly conducts polls on just about everything under the sun, has gauged the mood among Xbox gamers, and as you might expect, the trends are pointing in the right direction. Among other things, they write:
"Among U.S. gamers, XBOX's Buzz score has risen sharply since Sharma took over, climbing from 8.5 points on February 20, 2026, to 20 points on May 20. The increase was not entirely linear, but the direction of travel is clear. Buzz moved into double digits by late February, remained elevated through March and April, and reached a high of 21.8 on May 16 before settling slightly lower by May 20."
Incidentally, this isn't the only metric Microsoft will likely be pleased to see, as the perhaps even more important parameter covering the brand's overall health is also pointing upwards.
"The improvement is also visible in XBOX's broader brand health. Its Index score among U.S. gamers rose from 25.2 on February 20 to 28.3 on May 20. Index is YouGov BrandIndex's composite measure of overall brand health, reflecting an average of six constituent metrics: Impression, Quality, Value, Satisfaction, Recommend, and Reputation."
On June 7, it's time for the Xbox Games Showcase, where we'll get to see more from Xbox and check out what they have in store for the near future. However, we suspect that the big question of exclusives isn't something that will be addressed in connection with this event.
