Game Pass Hurts Xbox Game Sales By Whopping 80%, Says Analyst

Expert Verified By

Game Pass Model Still Not Sustainable!

Story Highlight
  • An analyst has stated that Xbox Game Pass can hurt game sales by up to 80%.
  • He pointed to releases like Starfield, Hellblade 2, and Indiana Jones as examples of this trend.
  • The analyst does not see subscriptions as the future of gaming.

Xbox Game Pass has proven to be quite beneficial for Microsoft, providing a new strategy for the gaming giant’s survival in this industry. However, it also comes with various problems of its own.

According to a renowned analyst, the service can notably impact sales. In fact, titles that launch day one on the service suffer about 80% sales losses on the Xbox platform.

Why it matters: Microsoft has put all its eggs in one basket, so the gaming giant has no option but to commit to this service and day-one content delivery.

Xbox Game Pass
Microsoft Has Gone All In On The Subscription Model

Responding to a recent question about the service, Chris Dring noted that day-one Game Pass titles lose up to 80% of their potential sales on Xbox.

He pointed to examples like Hellblade 2, Indiana Jones, and Starfield, which quickly dropped off the best-selling charts after their release. Hellblade 2, in particular, ended up disappointing across all platforms.

Chris Dring noted that Xbox Game Pass could benefit multi-platform releases, which most of Microsoft’s first-party titles will be moving forward. However, he continued to emphasize that there is definitely money lost when AAA releases are made available through the service.

I believe it can lead to lost revenue. Games can expect to lose around 80% of premium sales on Xbox.

-Chris Dring

The analyst also believes that Xbox Game Pass may not be all too big in the future. He pointed to the popularity of free-to-play releases as one reason why this may be the case.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Received Plenty of Praise Despite Lukewarm Player Counts

Fortunately, for Xbox Game Pass, all hope has not been lost yet. A recent launch like Black Ops 6 has been encouraging for the service, and Indiana Jones, despite its disappointing performance, has seemingly impressed Disney enough to warrant a sequel.

Therefore, it will be interesting to see how the subscription shapes up in the future. What do you think about the potential hit to sales for titles released on the service? Let us know in the comments, and share more of your thoughts on the Tech4Gamers Forums.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

Microsoft Says AI Will Replace Humans Amid Cutting Thousands of Jobs To Focus on Former

The co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, recently revealed that AI will take over all jobs except those in programming.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Wins Game of the Year at Gayming Awards 2025

Dragon Age: The Veilguard has secured Game of The Year as well as two other awards at the Gayming Awards 2025.

GTA 6 Online Aiming To Feature 96 Players Per Server, Report Claims

Rockstar insider Fravilys claims that GTA 6 Online may feature up to 96 players on each server instead of the current 32 limit.

Microsoft Reportedly Killing Xbox One Backward Compatibility With Next-Gen Console

According to an insider, Microsoft is reportedly discontinuing Xbox One backward compatibility with the next-gen console, if it is a PC.

Stalker 2 Heading To PS5 Late 2025; PS5 Pro Enhancements Also Confirmed

Stalker 2 has been officially announced for the PS5 after several months of console exclusivity, with plans to launch the game in Fall 2025.