Support NeoGAF

[Ozzie666]

How many of these subscriptions are paying $1 a month, using some brazil exploit or Microsoft points scheme?
What happens when they have to pay the full price?

 

[The Pleasure]

So it didn't grow.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Ok so the 100milion in 3 years is out of reach... the question now is: what's the goal? Realistically 50m in 2026?

50M will only be possible with GP being available on Playstation and Nintendo, which I don't see happening.

I'd be surprised if GP would pass 40M by the end of 2027.

 

[Sweden85]

But it's unsustainable. And 47 million is holy shit Sony is on fire while 34 million equals Xbox is crashing and burning any time now. This forum.



PS+ isn't on PC and mobile? It's not MS's fault the Sony app sucks.

Imagine Sony releasing day one on PS+..100 million easy..

 

[AV]

How many of these subscriptions are paying $1 a month, using some brazil exploit or Microsoft points scheme?
What happens when they have to pay the full price?

Mine ran out the other day, I've only renewed it once because I'm playing Minecraft with my niece but I'll probably just buy that and skip GP.

I do still think it's a good deal on PC, but I've got so much that I want to play that having most of it almost dictated for me just doesn't work.

 

[Embearded]

I wonder how many of the 34M subscribers are paying full price.
So far we know of "tricks" to get multiple years cheaper, or that around 250.000 users are MS employees who get it for free.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

I wonder how many of the 34M subscribers are paying full price.
So far we know of "tricks" to get multiple years cheaper, or that around 250.000 users are MS employees who get it for free.

I don't know anyone on my friends list (admit its only about 20) that have ever paid for one month at £10.99 for GPU in all this time.

They are all up to the end of 2025 some now even into middle of 2026.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

I wonder how many of the 34M subscribers are paying full price.
So far we know of "tricks" to get multiple years cheaper, or that around 250.000 users are MS employees who get it for free.

Didn't we even have a thread recently where GP evangelists were discussing those cheap "tricks", because full price isn't worth it?

Even their core GP userbase isn't convinced.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I don't know anyone on my friends list (admit its only about 20) that have ever paid for one month at £10.99 for GPU in all this time.

They are all up to the end of 2025 some now even into middle of 2026.

I think I am 2026 or 2027 with some deals yes.

 

[Three]

This is how it begins. Soon all the big games will only be available on the most expensive gamepass subscription tier, and the lower ones will get the shit games Xbox Gold users got for years.

I doubt they will fracture the subscription content any further. They're more likely to add adverts to lower tiers to drive monetisation rather than split content more.

 

[yazenov]

50M will only be possible with GP being available on Playstation and Nintendo, which I don't see happening.

I'd be surprised if GP would pass 40M by the end of 2027.

I won't be surprised if we see a further decline in subscriber growth due to declining hardware sales, which are the main driver for subscription growth.

Announcing their exclusive games for rival platforms certainly will negatively impact hardware sales/subscription growth.

 

[Three]

I don't know anyone on my friends list (admit its only about 20) that have ever paid for one month at £10.99 for GPU in all this time.

They are all up to the end of 2025 some now even into middle of 2026.

I think the average per subscriber is around $9.7/month if I remember correctly? I think the estimate is also that 50% are on GPU. So from the RRP of $17 a sizable chunk must not be paying the full price for the average to be lower than the lowest $10 tier.

 

[Embearded]

I don't know anyone on my friends list (admit its only about 20) that have ever paid for one month at £10.99 for GPU in all this time.

They are all up to the end of 2025 some now even into middle of 2026.

Me neither, I don't know anyone who paid full price for the service.
Fun fact, i know one person who even got his Series X for free because he included in his research program exoenses

Didn't we even have a thread recently where GP evangelists were discussing those cheap "tricks", because full price isn't worth it?

Even their core GP userbase isn't convinced.

I don't know about a thread but i'd say this is in general the conscious about it.
I've seen many times people correcting others about the service's price, saying that the real price shouldn't count because you can get it cheaper in so many ways.

 

[phaedrus]

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service grows

 

[UltimaKilo]

50M will only be possible with GP being available on Playstation and Nintendo, which I don't see happening.

I'd be surprised if GP would pass 40M by the end of 2027.

They’ll clean house before that. The only way for GP to explode is to really push to get it on iPhone natively in a year or two… something Apple will not allow given they likely have their own big plans for Apple Arcade.

 

[DavidGzz]

Imagine Sony releasing day one on PS+..100 million easy..

Yeah...but they aren't. They're afraid of making fanboys cry.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

I think I am 2026 or 2027 with some deals yes.

Apologies - these aren't even with 'deals' like buying a year and converting it to GPU so MS technically get some coin.

In my group we have just smashed the Xbox Rewards programme and every time we get to 35,000 points we just redeem for 3 months, Never spent a penny.

Out of the tight-knit circle of about 4 of us, we redeem and give the codes to each other at some points if one of us is low.

 

[Vlodril]

They just seem to be incapable of getting their messaging straight/honest/factual/truthful.
They have been working on this "business update" since Jan? and they cant even get a simple game announcment right.

It is amazing how inept they are. These people govern a company with billions and billions of dollars..

 

[Sweden85]

Yeah...but they aren't. They're afraid of making fanboys cry.

They probably want more money. Gamepass isn't sustainable without other incomesources, hence releasing games on PS and Switch.. it won't stop with these 4 games.

 

[Astray]

Again, you are using the sum of Gamepass and Gold to draw the conclusion that "Gamepass has decreased" when NO, it has not decreased, it has risen to 35 million.

Then, from there, it's easy, what you are showing is a loss of Gold subscribers along the way, not Gamepass users.

The loss of Gold users along the way makes complete sense:
-Price increase
-You don't need gold to play F2P
-Not all XBO users have switched to XSeries to make paying interesting.

You have confirmation that the % increase in Gamepass due to the conversion to Core is minimal...... That should clarify a lot for you.

I have a bridge to sell you for a knockdown price..

 

[IDKFA]

Fuck me. They must be bleeding money. I was thinking of dropping from Ultimate to Core. It's a good rental service, but I have so little time for games that I'm just not making the most of it.

What Microsoft should do is lock people into 12 month contracts. As you as you sign up that's it. No getting out for 12 months minimum.

It would be a real shit move, but at least they won't have people signing up for a few games then leaving within a month.

 

[Freelance Yakuza]

How many of these subscriptions are paying $1 a month, using some brazil exploit or Microsoft points scheme?
What happens when they have to pay the full price?

I saw a quote yesterday where Phil said they don't count people using promotions like 1£

To be honest, I got 3 years of gold + 1 month of GPU for 1 USD, so would I be part of the 34 million?

Edit: I found it
Phil Spencer says Game Pass now has 34m "fully paid" subscribers

Phil Spencer says Game Pass now has 34m "fully paid" subscribers

Microsoft has shared updated Game Pass membership figures for the first time since January 2022, saying the on-demand g…

www.eurogamer.net

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

If this include people that subscribed for Palword (and will not renew next month), is a painful number.

Like those $1 for 3 months trial people they have included in the past.

 

[MisterXDTV]

Apologies - these aren't even with 'deals' like buying a year and converting it to GPU so MS technically get some coin.

In my group we have just smashed the Xbox Rewards programme and every time we get to 35,000 points we just redeem for 3 months, Never spent a penny.

Out of the tight-knit circle of about 4 of us, we redeem and give the codes to each other at some points if one of us is low.

I was able to get 3 years of GamePass Ultimate for €130 in 2022 using the Live Gold conversion

That's less than 2 full price games

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

I saw a quote yesterday where Phil said they don't count people using promotions like 1£

To be honest, I got 3 years of gold + 1 month of GPU for 1 USD, so would I be part of the 34 million?

Edit: I found it
Phil Spencer says Game Pass now has 34m "fully paid" subscribers

Phil Spencer says Game Pass now has 34m "fully paid" subscribers

Microsoft has shared updated Game Pass membership figures for the first time since January 2022, saying the on-demand g…

www.eurogamer.net

Well 33,999,999 because I’ve never paid a penny.

 

[Freelance Yakuza]

Well 33,999,999

Did you just report a massive growth in subscriptions?

 

[Topher]

Well 33,999,999 because I’ve never paid a penny.

Me either. Wonder how they are defining "fully paid".

 

[Heisenberg007]

The biggest takeaway was that Game Pass lost at least 3 million subscribers since January 2022. Makes sense why they weren't announcing the numbers.

They are also well behind their internal growth targets.

 

[C2brixx]

Didn't we even have a thread recently where GP evangelists were discussing those cheap "tricks", because full price isn't worth it?

Even their core GP userbase isn't convinced.

The 3:2 Gamepass conversion or "tricks" exist because Microsoft wants it to. It's an incentive to prepay "at most" $180 for 2 years of access to GP. The keyword is "access". You own nothing with Gamepass so it's value is only realized if you're avid user of a lot of the games in the service. Most Xbox households yearly purchases are 2K,Madden, and COD. GP exist for Microsoft to at least get some revenue from the vast majority of Xbox console owners who only play those games. 34 million subs (or whatever the actual number is) is revenue that didn't exist pre GP.

 

[TransTrender]

Can we get a title update to say the service shrank to 34 million?

 

[Kumomeme]

Analyst Expects Xbox Game Pass To Hit 50M Subscribers If Activision Deal Closes

Entertainment software analyst, Michael Pachter, expects Xbox Game Pass to hit 50 million subscribers if the Activision Blizzard deal closes.

twistedvoxel.com

 

[Kumomeme]

Next year they'll distribute Gamepass Keychains and every person owning a Keychain will be part of the brand new Gamepass Zero.
It will grow at least another 9 millions!

"Every Keychains is an Xbox" - Sarah Bond

 

[twilo99]

For those of you who just subbed because of this thread here is my current “intro to GP” list

• ⁠A Plague Tale: Requiem
• ⁠Age of Empires II
• ⁠ARK: Survival Evolved
• ⁠Batman: Arkham Knight
• ⁠Celeste
• ⁠Dragon Age: Inquisition
• ⁠Far Cry 5
• ⁠Forza Horizon 5
• ⁠Ghostwire: Tokyo
• ⁠Grounded
• ⁠Halo Infinite
• ⁠Hi-Fi RUSH
• ⁠Hot Wheels Unleashed
• ⁠Immortals Fenyx Rising
• ⁠Jusant
• ⁠Just Cause 4
• ⁠Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• ⁠Ori and the Blind Forest
• ⁠Palworld
• ⁠Psychonauts 2
• ⁠Quake II
• ⁠Quantum Break
• ⁠Rollerdrome
• ⁠Solar Ash
• ⁠STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order
• ⁠Starfield
• ⁠Sunset Overdrive
• ⁠Superliminal
• ⁠Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
• ⁠Titanfall 2

 

[MarkMe2525]

MS hit a subscriber brickwall. They need a consistent release schedule of marketable games if they want to move the needle in any meaningful manner.

 

[odhiex]

I was expecting the Gamepass subscribers are within 40-45 mil by now. Yeah, I was too optimistic.

 

[ShadowkillXNA]

Best value in gaming !!

For some yes, others no.
All subjective.

 

[Zuzu]

Imo they need to release a cloud streaming dongle for the tv and a cloud streaming handheld to try and find new markets for Gamepass subscribers. A $99 dongle with a controller packaged in and 3 months free of Gamepass might find a nice audience. And a $150 cloud handheld might also be attractive to some (it also needs to be remote play capable).

 

[JerryinSoCal]

I don't know what percentage of xbox series x owners got their console through all access, I did at the time because it was the only way to easily find one but they make you pay for 2 years of GPU with that payment plan. I didn't renew my sub because there isn't enough on there for me to pay for that I want to play that I don't already own or have owned in the past.

 

[havoc00]

For some yes, others no.
All subjective.

It is for all

 

[MasterCornholio]

It is for all

Well it isn't for me. For example I can't play FF7 Rebirth with gamepass.

 

[havoc00]

Well it isn't for me. For example I can't play FF7 Rebirth with gamepass.

You can play Redfall

 

[MasterCornholio]

You can’t play Redfall either

I doubt Final Fantasy will suck like Redfall did. I want to play FF7 Rebirth. Redfall you can put it into the paper shredder even with gamepass.

 

[havoc00]

I doubt Final Fantasy will suck like Redfall did. I want to play FF7 Rebirth. Redfall you can put it into the paper shredder even with gamepass.

Redfall is the best looter since borderlands 2. Why play rebirth when you can buy the superior 15 for Pennie’s ?

 

[DeepEnigma]

For those of you who just subbed because of this thread here is my current “intro to GP” list

• ⁠A Plague Tale: Requiem
• ⁠Age of Empires II
• ⁠ARK: Survival Evolved
• ⁠Batman: Arkham Knight
• ⁠Celeste
• ⁠Dragon Age: Inquisition
• ⁠Far Cry 5
• ⁠Forza Horizon 5
• ⁠Ghostwire: Tokyo
• ⁠Grounded
• ⁠Halo Infinite
• ⁠Hi-Fi RUSH
• ⁠Hot Wheels Unleashed
• ⁠Immortals Fenyx Rising
• ⁠Jusant
• ⁠Just Cause 4
• ⁠Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• ⁠Ori and the Blind Forest
• ⁠Palworld
• ⁠Psychonauts 2
• ⁠Quake II
• ⁠Quantum Break
• ⁠Rollerdrome
• ⁠Solar Ash
• ⁠STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order
• ⁠Starfield
• ⁠Sunset Overdrive
• ⁠Superliminal
• ⁠Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
• ⁠Titanfall 2

Thank you for your service.

 

[MasterCornholio]

Redfall is the best looter since borderlands 2. Why play rebirth when you can buy the superior 15 for Pennie’s ?

Nah I rather be in a cuddle pile with you than play those games.

 

[KungFucius]

How many of these subscriptions are paying $1 a month, using some brazil exploit or Microsoft points scheme?
What happens when they have to pay the full price?

Do you honestly think this number is significant? For your sake I hope the answer is no.

 

[SenkiDala]

Sadly if Starfield wasn't enough to have this number growing I dunno what will be... Avowed, Fable, Clockwork something, Hellblade 2, nothing is appealing to the mass market or to hardcore gamers in all that shit. Those kind of games are just appealing because "well it's in Gamepass so why not".

No way they reach 100M by 2026, except maybe if they add COD but I don't think it is possible ?

 

[MasterCornholio]

Sadly if Starfield wasn't enough to have this number growing I dunno what will be... Avowed, Fable, Clockwork something, Hellblade 2, nothing is appealing to the mass market or to hardcore gamers in all that shit. Those kind of games are just appealing because "well it's in Gamepass so why not".

No way they reach 100M by 2026, except maybe if they add COD but I don't think it is possible ?

Well COD is a big revenue driver. Adding it to gamepass could cause more problems for them.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

No growth in 2 years. That about sums it up.

 

[xrnzaaas]

How many of these subscriptions are paying $1 a month, using some brazil exploit or Microsoft points scheme?
What happens when they have to pay the full price?

Microsoft has done this to themselves. For years you had frequent 1$ deals and various alternatives & tricks for getting Game Pass much cheaper / transforming Gold to Game Pass. It's not surprising that some people got very used to it and will abandon the service having to pay more (even if it's still not full price).