The year is coming to a close and Microsoft may have one more surprise up its sleeve as it seems that may leave soon. Some players have received notifications that the game will be one of three due to leave the service on December 31, but only two of those have been confirmed by Microsoft.
Xbox is Spending Over $1 Billion Per Year on Third Party Game Pass Titles
03.12.2023 - 14:19 / gamingbolt.com / Phil Spencer / Jim Ryan / Game Pass / Xbox Game Pass
With Game Pass being as central to Xbox’s strategy as it has become over the years, it goes without saying that Microsoft has pumped a massive amount of money into the service, especially given how many third party titles the service features in its catalog (many of which launch day and date). How much money exactly, though?
Speaking during a recent interview with Windows Central, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer revealed the answer to that very question. As per Spencer, Game Pass is a “financially viable” service that “makes money” for Microsoft, and that’s in spite of the company spending over $1 billion every year on third party games available via the service.
“We have a service that is financially viable, meaning it makes money, in Game Pass,” Spencer said. “We’ve put a lot of money into the market, over a billion dollars a year supporting third-party games coming into Game Pass. What we see in Game Pass is a service that supports all kinds of games, from the biggest games, to the unknown indie games that you didn’t know you would love until you played it.”
That’s certainly an eye-watering figure, but not one that’s totally surprising. Earlier this year, a leaked internal Microsoft document revealed the figures that third party publishers would hypothetically ask for to release certain titles on Game Pass (given the impact the service has on games’ sales), and it mentioned some pretty steep prices, including $50 million for Gotham Knights, $100 million for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, $250 million for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, $300 million for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, $5 million per month for Red Dead Redemption 2, and $12-15 million per month for Grand Theft Auto 5.
Questions have, of course, frequently been asked about the financial viability and long-term success of Game Pass (including by PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan), but Spencer has stressed time and again that the service’s model is a sustainable one.
As of January 2022, Game Pass had over 25 million subscribers.
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
mmorpg.com
17.12.2023 / 23:25
Baldur's Gate 3 Will Not Be Heading To Xbox Game Pass
Many fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 were expecting the game to launch on Xbox Game Pass; Larian has now confirmed that the game is worth the price it is set at and will not be coming to the subscription service.
rockpapershotgun.com
16.12.2023 / 16:17
It doesn’t sound like Baldur’s Gate 3 will be on Game Pass anytime soon - if ever
If you’ve been holding out hope that Baldur’s Gate 3 might find its way onto PC Game Pass in the future, I’ve got some bad news for you: it’s very unlikely to happen.
gamesindustry.biz
15.12.2023 / 13:25
Xbox Games Pass comes to Meta Quest
The Xbox Cloud Gaming beta app has launched on Meta Quest VR headsets, meaning those with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription can access its library of games.
gadgets.ndtv.com
12.12.2023 / 15:19
Microsoft Is Reportedly Exploring Free Xbox Game Pass Access in Exchange for Watching Adverts
Microsoft is reportedly planning to offer free game streaming in exchange for advertisements. As per TweakTown, Xbox Gaming CFO Tim Stuart suggested during the recent Wells Fargo TMT Summit that to expand geographically, it would be ideal to leverage the company's xCloud service, allowing players to cloud stream games at any ‘endpoint' via a simple Game Pass Ultimate subscription. He further added, “For models like Africa, or India, Southeast Asia, maybe places that aren't console-first, you can say, ‘Hey, do you want to watch 30 seconds of an ad and then get two hours of game streaming?'”
pushsquare.com
06.12.2023 / 23:02
Microsoft Still Wants to Put Xbox Game Pass on PS5, PS4 | Push Square
Xbox Series X|S maker Microsoft has once again expressed a desire to release its membership service Game Pass on to PS5, PS4, allowing first-party titles like Starfield and Forza Motorsport to become available to a wider audience. Xbox CFO Tim Stuart made the comments during the Wells Fargo TMT Summit, stating it to be a «bit of a change of strategy».
gamedeveloper.com
04.12.2023 / 18:49
Microsoft spending over $1 billion annually on third-party Xbox Game Pass titles
Xbox boss Phil Spencer says Microsoft spends over $1 billion a year bringing third-party titles to Xbox Game Pass.
gamesindustry.biz
04.12.2023 / 15:35
Game Pass would fare better on PC and mobile than PlayStation and Nintendo | Microcast
Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox
techradar.com
04.12.2023 / 11:06
Phil Spencer reveals how much Xbox Game Pass costs to upkeep - and it's staggering
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has revealed how much its Xbox Game Pass subscription service is costing the company, and it's a pretty penny, to say the least.
eurogamer.net
03.12.2023 / 18:27
Xbox spends "over a billion dollars a year" on Xbox Game Pass
Xbox spends «over a billion dollars a year» on its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
gamingbolt.com
02.12.2023 / 02:05
Xbox Has No Plans to Bring Game Pass to PlayStation or Nintendo – Phil Spencer
Despite indications and rumours that Xbox might be keen on expanding its Game Pass offerings to also be available on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms, Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer has revealed that the company doesn’t have any current plans to do it.
wccftech.com
02.12.2023 / 00:05
Game Pass on PS5 and Switch Not in the Plans, $1B a Year Spent Getting Games on the Service
Over the past few years, there have been scattered hints Microsoft would like to bring their Xbox Game Pass service to rival consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Talk about this heated up in a major way recently, when Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said they want to get Game Pass on “every screen that will play games,” including PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. Juicy!