Games available on the Xbox Game Pass can expect to lose around 80% of their expected premium sales on Xbox consoles, although being available as part of the subscription can be beneficial for some of them.
Speaking during a Q&A session hosted on the Install Base forums, former head of GamesIndustry.biz Chris Dring revealed some interesting tidbits on sales of games available on Xbox Game Pass, saying that any game can expect to lose around 80% of its expected premium sales on Xbox, less if it is a big mainstream release. How low Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, and even Starfield have charted makes it clear how Game Pass hurt the sales of these games on Xbox consoles. Being available on Xbox Game Pass, however, can also be beneficial for multiplatform games, as a surge of players on Xbox can have a strong impact on sales on PlayStation.
While a game being available as part of the Xbox Game Pass library can lead to lost sales, it can also make it easier for developers to get people to try out their game. Chris Dring highlighted that, from data, it is known that a lot of people only play the Call of Duty series, and if some of them got the game via the Xbox Game Pass this year, they might have tried another game available on the subscription service they may otherwise never have played. Unfortunately, this may be a best-case scenario, as the limited growth of subscription services and the existence of big free games that are hundreds of hours long makes it unlikely.
While Microsoft never made it clear, it's evident from the company's marketing messaging and some of its latest decisions, such as the first major changes introduced to the service last year since its launch, that the Xbox Game Pass is impacting their console business. According to well-known analyst Mat Piscatella, the company's approach to its subscription service needs to be balanced with its other services, and the aforementioned changes introduced last year suggest that this is what Microsoft is attempting to do. Balancing the service and further expanding on other systems, according to the analyst, could make Xbox's future bright.
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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