Subscription services in gaming have been a great addition to the user experience and an option to consider for consuming content while adapting to one's own budget. However, it is thought that this is the future of the industry, although the data does not currently support this idea. An example of this is what might happen with Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's service.
Xbox Game Pass would have 33.3 million subscribers by 2023
Amid the controversy generated by statements from Microsoft executives, including Satya Nadella, about the release of Xbox games on competitor platforms, the issue of Xbox Game Pass and its reach within the Microsoft Gaming ecosystem has been brought to the forefront. In this regard, an article by Rebekah Valentine from IGN shares information provided by James McWhirter, an analyst at Omdia, regarding the number of subscribers that Game Pass had at the end of 2023.
James McWhirter indicated that his firm's estimates suggest that Xbox Game Pass closed 2023 with 33.3 million subscribers, a figure that would be lower than the triumphant spirit of Microsoft, which still refuses to reveal updated data but claims to be on a very good path. According to this analyst, those 33.3 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers would be the total number up to that point, not counting those who joined the service due to a simple concept change: the end of Xbox Live Gold and its transformation into Xbox Game Pass Core.
Additionally, James McWhirter warns of a slowdown in the number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers, as the estimated figure would represent a growth of 13% from 2022 to 2023, less than the 15% growth from 2021 to 2022.
This is not the first time the 30 million Xbox Game Pass users have been discussed
The issue at hand is that the figure of 30 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers has become a reference to the real number that Microsoft hides, as the last time it shared details was in November 2022, reporting 25 million subscribers. In September 2023, Craig McNary, a member of the Xbox marketing team, posted on his LinkedIn profile that Xbox Game Pass had more than 30 million subscribers, a statement he later deleted.
Recently, another analyst, the reputable Mat Piscatella from Circana, revealed that subscriptions to video game services have stagnated in the United States and that spending on them represents only 10% of the total revenue in that market, so it is far from being considered a dominant option.
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