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- A famous analyst predicted 200 million Game Pass customers by 2034.
- He now feels less confident about the figure, stating that no progress has been made toward this goal.
- The analyst points to price hikes and Xbox’s failure to evolve as potential reasons behind the stagnation.
Game Pass completely changed the fate of Xbox when Microsoft bet big on day-one subscription releases. Since then, the gaming giant has seen millions of subscribers on the service with hopes of significantly higher numbers by the next generation.
In fact, an analyst previously predicted 200 million Game Pass subscribers by 2034. This prediction reflected strong growth and future outlook for the service last year, but the same analyst has now warned that Xbox has not made substantial progress toward this figure.
Why it matters: Game Pass is now central to Microsoft’s entire gaming business model, but the service has slowed down over the last year.
Michael Pachter, the analyst famous for his bold prediction of 200 million Game Pass subscribers by 2034, recently discussed Xbox’s layoffs and current position.
As per Pachter, the gaming giant’s troubles are a result of recent acquisitions. He believes Xbox bit off more than it could chew with the large-scale acquisitions of ZeniMax Media and Activision Blizzard made back-to-back.
This led to price hikes for Game Pass without a significant improvement in the content itself. According to Michael Pachter, this is precisely why the service is struggling today.
I thought they’d have 200 million Game Pass customers in the next 10 years. They’re making no progress toward that.
The analyst believes that Microsoft is not doing enough to support the service and has yet to evolve in line with the model.
He explained that Xbox’s old approach to game development is a hurdle to Game Pass’ growth. The analyst pointed out that Microsoft’s game development model is still based on the proposition of selling consoles despite Xbox hardware no longer being the driving force behind the content.
All of this means that Xbox needs to course-correct and pivot to a different model that complements Game Pass. As it stands, Pachter does not seem too enthusiastic about his prediction from last year.
Of course, this is not the first time a major analyst has expressed concerns regarding Game Pass stagnation. Microsoft itself seems to be facing challenges due to the lower-than-anticipated numbers, resulting in cancellations of million-dollar games like Perfect Dark.
What do you think about Michael Pachter’s statement on Game Pass? Do you think the service will hit 200 million subscribers by 2034? Let’s discuss in the comments and on the Tech4Gamers Forums.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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