Xbox Game Pass Was Supposed to Be Totally Different from What We Know: The Backstory

The Xbox reorganization program is underway and, following layoffs, one of the central elements for the future remains Game Pass, on which Microsoft may adopt a new strategy. A report from Bloomberg states that the current structure of the service has been the subject of numerous discussions among the company's executives.

Indeed, the initial idea of Game Pass was very different from the formula adopted in recent years. According to the testimonies of five former Microsoft employees, the service was conceived with a completely different philosophy than the current one: the initial goal was not to offer major blockbusters on day one, but to focus on the back catalog (the so-called "classics"), adding value to games that could no longer reach new players.

The idea of including high-budget productions in Game Pass from the day of launch faced strong resistance among Xbox executives, and many warned the top management about the risk of devaluing flagship titles and cannibalizing full-price retail and digital sales. The case of Call of Duty is a glaring example, with an estimated loss of over $300 million in direct sales.

The issue of subscriber numbers has also been a topic of discussion. Many within the company believed that the service had peaked. The price increase that occurred in recent months has had a negative impact and has alienated a portion of users. It remains to be seen what the company's future plans for Game Pass will be, far from the numbers hoped for in the past.