Number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers worldwide 2020-2024

First launched in June 2017 on the Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's cross-platform gaming subscription service, which allows users to play online multiplayer, access a rotating library of games, and other services, depending on the subscription tier. Xbox Game Pass reported 34 million subscribers in February 2024. The overall reach of the Microsoft Xbox Network was an estimated 120 million monthly active users.A constantly evolving productWith the multiplayer subscription service Xbox Live Gold already being a part of the online gaming experience on the Xbox One console, Microsoft introduced a separate on-demand subscription service for gaming content, known as Xbox Game Pass, in the second half of the console’s lifecycle. In April 2019, Microsoft also introduced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundles Game Pass with an Xbox Live Gold subscription. This higher-priced tier also includes EA Play, a subscription service for video games published by Electronic Arts. EA Play has been live in several iterations, known as Origin Access on PC and EA Access on consoles. In November 2020, EA Play was integrated into the XBox Game Pass Ultimate and instantly doubled its user reach.Expanding the content library via strategic acquisitionsAt launch, the Xbox One platform, and subsequently the Xbox Game Pass, have frequently been criticized for the lack of platform-exclusive releases. Compared to the PlayStation or Nintendo Switch, there were fewer major first- or third-party exclusives, and several flagship Microsoft exclusives also underperformed or were delayed or cancelled.To remedy this, Microsoft began to realign its first party studios first into unified Microsoft Studios (2017) and then rebranded this collection of gaming studios into Xbox Game Studios (2019). Since 2019, Microsoft has made several key acquisitions (Double Fine, InXile Entertainment, Ninja Theory, Obsidian Entertainment, Playground Games) before making a big splash with their 7.5 billion U.S. dollar purchase of holding company ZeniMax Media in March 2021. ZeniMax’s portfolio of gaming studios includes Bethesda Game Studios (maker of Fallout, The Elder Scolls, and the upcoming Starfield), id Software (developer of Doom, Quake, and the Rage series), Arkane Studios, MachineGames, and Tango Gameworks. It was Microsoft’s most high-profile gaming acquisition until the announcement of its intended purchase of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for an eye-watering 69 billion U.S. dollars in January 2022. As of June 2023, the blockbuster deal is still up for regulatory approval due to concerns about industry consolidation and its impact on consumer choice.

Xbox Game Pass服务自2017年6月在Xbox One平台首次推出以来，已成为微软的跨平台游戏订阅服务。该服务允许多用户在线参与多人游戏，访问不断更新的游戏库以及其他服务，具体取决于订阅等级。截至2024年2月，Xbox Game Pass已拥有3400万订阅者。微软Xbox网络的整体覆盖范围达到约1.2亿月活跃用户。作为一个不断演进的产物，随着多玩家订阅服务Xbox Live Gold已成为Xbox One游戏机上的在线游戏体验的一部分，微软在游戏机生命周期后半段推出了独立的按需订阅服务Xbox Game Pass。2019年4月，微软还推出了Xbox Game Pass Ultimate，将Game Pass与Xbox Live Gold订阅捆绑在一起。这一更高价位的订阅等级还包括由Electronic Arts出版的视频游戏订阅服务EA Play。EA Play经历了多个版本，包括在PC上的Origin Access和在游戏机上的EA Access。2020年11月，EA Play被整合到XBox Game Pass Ultimate中，其用户覆盖范围瞬间翻倍。通过战略收购扩展内容库，在推出时，Xbox One平台以及随后的Xbox Game Pass因缺乏平台独占发行而经常受到批评。与PlayStation或任天堂Switch相比，其第一方或第三方独占大作较少，而且一些微软的旗舰独占作品表现不佳、延期或取消。为了纠正这一问题，微软首先将第一方工作室重组为统一的Microsoft Studios（2017年），随后将该游戏工作室系列更名为Xbox Game Studios（2019年）。自2019年以来，微软已进行了多次关键收购（Double Fine、InXile Entertainment、Ninja Theory、Obsidian Entertainment、Playground Games），并在2021年3月以75亿美元巨资收购了控股公司ZeniMax Media，创造了微软游戏收购的巅峰。ZeniMax的游艺工作室组合包括Bethesda Game Studios（制作了《辐射》、《上古卷轴》和即将推出的《星际公民》）、id Software（开发了《毁灭战士》、《雷神之锤》和《狂怒》系列）、Arkane Studios、MachineGames和Tango Gameworks。这是微软迄今为止最引人注目的游戏收购，直到2022年1月宣布以令人咋舌的690亿美元收购《使命召唤》制造商Activision Blizzard。截至2023年6月，这一重磅交易因行业整合及其对消费者选择的影响而面临监管批准的挑战。