“Xbox Game Pass is Very, Very Sustainable” – Phil Spencer

Xbox Game Pass has become synonymous with the phrase “too good to be true” in the time that it has been around-and yet it very much is true. But questions about the sustainability of the Game Pass model have been asked relentlessly since the service came into existence, what with Microsoft losing out on the money it would get from the copies it would sell for all the first party games that now release (and will continue to release) day and date on Xbox Game Pass.

Add to that the fact that the company is likely paying big sums of money to publishers for major third party games like MLB The Show 21, Outriders, and Back 4 Blood to also launch on the service on day 1, and the recent report of Microsoft having missed its target for Xbox Game Pass subscribers this past year, and those questions become even more heated.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer, however, admits that it is very much sustainable. Speaking with Axios’ Stephen Totilo (as he shared on Twitter), the Xbox boss stressed that Xbox Game Pass is constantly growing, and though it is a huge focus for the company, it isn’t the only thing that it is focusing on. At the end of the day, Spencer says the Game Pass model is “very, very sustainable right now as it sits and it continues to grow.”

Of course, what will ultimately drive Xbox Game Pass’ success (or otherwise) first and foremost will be content, and there, Microsoft seems to be well positioned. The Xbox Game Studios lineup is looking healthier than ever, and with major upcoming first party releases like Halo Infinite, Starfield, Redfall, and many more launching with Game Pass, the subscription is sure to attract more users going forward. Whether or not it can attract enough of them to see the kind of growth that Microsoft will be hoping for remains to be seen.

And here's more of our discussion about Game Pass, of which he says:

"I know there's a lot of people that like to write: We're burning cash right now for some future pot of gold at the end. No. Game Pass is very, very sustainable right now as it sits and it continues to grow” pic.twitter.com/TaScS04jCU

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) November 15, 2021