In a recent interview, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, opened up about the subscription service Game Pass. He clarified that Microsoft doesn’t expect every gamer to adopt this model, acknowledging that it isn’t suitable for everyone.
Speaking with Variety, Spencer highlighted that people who typically play only one or two games yearly might prefer buying those titles outright instead of subscribing. “If you play one or two games a year, Game Pass probably isn’t the right business model for you; you should just buy those two games, and that would make total sense,” he stated.
This statement underscores his commitment to offering gamers options. “I want you to have the choice,” he emphasized. “We remain focused on everything that’s on Game Pass is also available to buy.” This means players can still purchase titles individually if they choose not to subscribe.
Spencer elaborated by framing Game Pass as simply another option among various business models, such as free-to-play and discounted games. His vision centers around increasing playtime and helping new players discover and build their game libraries through different methods.
While no new membership stats were shared during this talk, Spencer mentioned that overall gaming hours on Xbox continue to increase significantly, attributing part of this growth to Game Pass. “Game Pass has been an important part of that,” he said, explaining how it fits into Xbox’s strategy for attracting new players.
The impact of Game Pass isn’t lost on developers either, recently, Rebellion’s CEO Jason Kingsley revealed that launching their survival action game Atomfall via Xbox Game Pass was a resounding success. “Microsoft has been a fantastic partner,” Kingsley noted in another interview. They appreciated the support from Microsoft, which helped raise their smaller project effectively.
