Mike Brown, former creative director on Forza Horizon 5, spoke out in defense of Xbox Game Pass and Sarah Bond during a recent MinnMax podcast appearance.
Brown, who spent nine years at Playground Games before founding Maverick Games in 2022 to develop Clutch, described the Xbox reset under new CEO Asha Sharma as sad and unfortunate. He noted the service had funded many studios and jobs through its subscription model.
He attributed Game Pass struggles to insufficient subscribers after a price increase tied to Call of Duty day-and-date releases. The service later reduced prices and removed the title from its day-one lineup while refocusing on major franchises such as Halo, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls and Minecraft.
Brown rejected criticism of Sarah Bond, calling her sharp and competent. He said she remains an adviser on Sharma's team and emphasized that the Game Pass concept itself was sound despite its commercial shortfall.
