Microsoft says games don’t need to be on Game Pass to be viable on Xbox

videogameschronicle.com:

Microsoft’s head of gaming has said titles don’t have to be on Xbox Game Pass to stand a chance of being successful on the company’s consoles.

During a GDC chat with fellow Xbox exec Sarah Bond, Phil Spencer said he’s frequently asked by developers whether it’s worthwhile releasing their products on Xbox if they’re not on Game Pass.

“I also want to make clear to people that are out there that for us at Xbox, there’s not one business model that we think is going to win,” he said. “I often get asked by developers, ‘if I’m not in the subscription am I just not viable on Xbox anymore?’ and it’s absolutely not true.

“Like we look at retail of people selling games, buying games, it’s an important part of our P&L [profit and loss statement], you know that. And it’s something that we invest resources in to enable our developers to do great work there.”

Xbox Game Pass launched in June 2017 and has become central to Microsoft’s gaming business, attracting over 25 million subscribers as of January 2022, according to the company.

It offers members access to over 100 titles, including all first-party games at launch, for $10 / £8 per month on console or PC. For $15 / £11, users can access the games on console, PC and mobile devices, including via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella claimed last year that Xbox Game Pass subscribers play approximately 40% more games and spend 50% more than non-members.

But Spencer said in the GDC video that Microsoft will continue to support a diverse range of business models including retail, subscription and free-to-play.

“And this is where I sometimes contrast against other forms of media that we get compared to, whether it’s music, whether it’s video, where the models have really condensed down