Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Says Xbox Game Pass is 'Not for Everybody' - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 20 April 2025 / 6,076 Views
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer in an interview with Variety stated Xbox Game Pass isn't for everyone.
"It's not for everybody," said Spencer. "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. But I want you to have the choice. So we remain focused on everything that's on Game Pass is also available to buy.
"I've always thought about Game Pass as just another option for somebody who wants to play. We have many business models for people playing from free-to-play, buying games, discounted games–Game Pass is an option.
"So when I'm looking at Game Pass, I want to make sure the hours that people are playing continue to go up, that new people see this as a way for them to find and build their library of games, and we remain focused on that."
Spencer did not say how many people are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, however, he did say the number of hours people are playing on Xbox "continues to grow fairly substantially," partly due to Game Pass.
"Game Pass has been an important part of that, but I don’t try to solve for Game Pass specifically on its own. It's kind of part of the equation for Xbox finding new players," he stated.
The last update on the number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers came in February 2024, which was 34 million subscribers. This was before Activision Blizzard games started coming to the service.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Bluesky.
More Articles
Not for me.
Yeah its not for me, but I can see the value in it for others.
Gamepass can never be a way to find and build a library of games. It's a rental service.
Theres a ridiculous amount of people that literally don't give af about "building a library of games" lol
not sure why that was downvoted
Of course. Something can't be for everyone, and that's okay. That doesn't take away the great value it offers. It's been my main way to play games this generation and I'm very happy with it.
Is it a great value when it's 20 bucks a month and a lot of the games you can find physical cheaper in the long run?
How many new games can you buy for $20? This month alone has 4 day 1 releases I'm going to play. Then next month Doom. Game Pass is very convenient for what I want out of gaming and it's value is great.
Used at a Gamestop or Ebay? a fuck ton. And even new I got a bunch of XBO games for 10 bucks sealed from even Amazon and ebay
How many games released in the past month are you actually able to find for $20? If it was that easy, we wouldn't be complaining about game prices going up.
Long run is what I said.
You can buy and resell for under $20 net. Maybe $10. So you could play something like 20 new games in a year. The crucial point being that it’s any games. What percentage of new games actually releases on gamepass?
The big difference is when you pay that money to Gamepass, you're paying to rent games. When you buy them used, you own them. Of course, the importance of ownership vs renting falls on the individual, but still. There is more value in owning them vs renting.
It's pretty obvious it's not meant for everybody.
Microsoft has pumped so much money into it and has probably wanted more profit generated than it has.
I cancelled my gamepass a few months ago, since they and 3rd party aren't making good use of series s hardware. Every title i was looking forward to on gamepass ended up looking bad/performance issues. So now it's being used as a movie player instead. Thanks Mr spencer.
Why did you buy the budget version if performance was such a big deal? Series X has always been an option. Putting the blame on anyone besides yourself is wild.
Because they're clearly not delivering on their promise of what they adverised. And developers are half arsing the series s releases. Theyre putting out quick ports instead of taking the time to figure out the hard ware. So many games look terrible, due to unreal engine 5 and similar engines.
Wow!!! Really??? Who woulda thought???
Value is a highly relative concept. I had the PC version for three months (two of them free) and it just wasn't in my wheelhouse. It's probably great for quantity gamers but I'm selective about what I want to play and when I want to play it. I kind of felt compelled to choose games from the narrow selection they offered so it didn't feel like a waste and I didn't like that.
I have Gamepass because its not that expensive and I use it pretty regularly. At the very least, if you are using it to play a few $70 a year then its already serving its value. For the games I absolutely want, I just buy them when they are dirt cheap.
Also, having access to EA games and PC content adds extra value. I think its best for people that have time to kill but not a lot of money. Young people must get the most use out of it.
Actually just cancelled my subscription.
It was a great service when I was broke, in school, and had lots of time. Now that I am less broke but with less time, it doesn't make as much sense.
I forget it exists for months at a time. I don't know anyone that uses it.
So, it's not for everyone, certainly, but I'm sure it's great. I don't hear complaints.
Yep unless your in the 4-5 games a year, and enjoy what is offered by gamepass.... it shouldn't even be a consideration.
Oh man... I use GPU the way it was intended. Especially the cloud streaming side of it. Being able to literally jump into new releases without having to commit to installing is fantastic. I can jump from Indiana Jones to South of Midnight within a matter of seconds. I like to try various games, and ones that truly interest me I will commit to downloading or even buying. i know people have questions about lag but honestly if you are doing it like me... you get used to it. Games i choose to install are ones I really want to get deeper into. so naturally I will want them installed in order to play the way they were intended, but the cloud streaming is a great way to gauge interest.
I never could understand why this is such a great deal and convenience and yet so many want to crap all over it? I get they may not like MS or Xbox, but get over it. Its a fantastic service and one that does not inhibit ones ability to still buy games as they wish. I do that now. i will play a game on GPU and if i really like it, and want to own it, I will likely buy it. Im older now, my attention span is much shorter so that is why I indulge in the service and can jump in and out of games at will. I dont have the patience to sit through a slog of 50+ hours of a single game... not anymore. I like my gaming is quick bursts like i did back in the arcades. a quarter could either go a long way or not but you got out of it what you put in.
I wasnt initially interested in GP... but after using it for a while I find it to be the best deal in town.
LOL. 2017 - gamepass is the future. 2025 - Gamepass sucks and your better off just buying your games
It's always hilarious seeing gamepass trigger people like this 🤣
Essay Pro