Xbox Game Pass used to be hailed as the “best deal” in gaming, but it started to lose its luster following a steep subscription price increase several months back–that is still higher than what it used to be even after a decrease–and shifting membership tiers. Some of Xbox’s leaders aren’t too high on Game Pass either, especially after it proved to be a disruptive influence on Microsoft’s biggest franchise, Call of Duty. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, several people within Xbox see Game Pass as a “detriment” to the video game industry.
“There are a lot of people out there in studio leadership within Xbox who absolutely detest Game Pass. [They] think it has destroyed the value of their games, think it has taken away the value from all games in general and has been a detriment to the games industry in those people’s view, because of how it devalues games,” Schreier said on the Triple Click podcast.
That statement was backed up by a former Xbox studio lead, who added that Game Pass had devalued their work. “Giving games away for ‘free’ in Game Pass from day one sends a message to consumers that the games don’t have inherent market value. It almost creates an assumption that these titles could not sell on their own,” the source said to Windows Central. “It felt like a race to zero.”
Another Xbox lead added that while Game Pass was designed to be a stable source of revenue for games in an era where live-service titles dominate, Microsoft’s opaque engagement formula made it hard for studios to stay motivated. For a time, Game Pass was a lifeline for studios that would release titles that would often go under the radar of players, but things have changed recently for the subscription’s business model.
Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown also gave his thoughts on Game Pass, saying that while it was a good idea, it failed to reach the lofty subscriber goals that it was aiming for.
The biggest shift is that Call of Duty is no longer a day-one launch through Game Pass, as the service took a bite out of direct sales. Schreier has speculated that Microsoft could make even more changes to the day-one model of Game Pass, especially at a time when Xbox is aiming to become a more profitable arm of the company. A new report also claimed that Game Pass has been an $80 billion gamble that hasn’t panned out the way Microsoft envisioned, and Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has said that decisions by the previous Xbox leadership did not help to grow the service meaningfully.
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