While there was some skepticism surrounding the Xbox Game Pass when it launched in 2017, players embraced the subscription model, which has been making solid revenue in the past few years.
As spotted by Timur222 on X, Richie Choudhary, former Head of Product at Xbox, revealed on their LinkedIn profile that from 2019 until 2021, Xbox Game Pass stood at $2 billion a year in revenue, which is definitely an impressive figure, despite not being telling in regard to the sustainability of the subscription service, as there's no data on the profits.
Old but interesting
Xbox Game Pass used to make $2 billion a year in revenue#Xbox pic.twitter.com/N5VEc0EBjH— Timur222 (@bogorad222) April 4, 2025
While Xbox Game Pass delivers quite a bit of value to players, it definitely causes a considerable drop in sales. Earlier this year, it was revealed that any game that is available as part of the subscription service's library can be expected to lose around 80% of its expected premium sales on Xbox, a little less if it is a big mainstream release. Still, certain games benefit from being part of the Game Pass library, such as multiplayer games, as a surge of players on Xbox systems can have a positive impact on sales on PlayStation consoles. The service also makes it easier for some developers to get players to try out their games.
Xbox Game Pass has become a fundamental part of Microsoft's strategy in the gaming space, which aims to get as many players as possible into the Xbox ecosystem, no matter the device. You can learn more about the subscription service on its official website.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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