Subscription Services Like Game Pass Won’t Replace Owning Games, Xbox Boss Says

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'You Can Buy Every Game That’s in Game Pass.'

Story Highlight
  • Microsoft Gaming CEO and Xbox boss Phil Spencer says Game Pass won’t replace owning games for players.
  • Phil clarifies that Xbox is not trying to funnel gamers into the subscription-based business model.
  • The CEO says that gamers can still choose to purchase a game after enjoying it on Game Pass to keep it forever.

While subscription services like Game Pass and PlayStation Plus have made gaming cheaper and more accessible for many players, they have also raised many concerns in the industry. The gaming scene is worried that the model will eventually replace owning games entirely.

However, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer completely disagrees with the concerns. He has recently addressed the matter and clarified that Game Pass won’t replace owning games for players. In fact, it might encourage them in a way.

Why it matters: Xbox boss has ensured worried players that Game Pass will not force them to stop owning games in any capacity. Players who like a title on Game Pass can purchase it and keep it in their libraries forever.

During an interview with Xbox Era, Phil claimed that players who enjoy titles on Game Pass might like them so much that they buy them to keep forever.

He added that Xbox will not trap users who like owning games to the subscription-based model, nor is the company trying to force Nintendo and PlayStation users to its platform.

You can buy every game that’s in Game Pass, we’re not trying to funnel everybody into one business model.

-Phil Spencer

Xbox wants to continue respecting people’s libraries by bringing more features like Play Anywhere and backward compatibility

PlayStation Xbox  Games
Xbox is launching more first-party games on PS5 than Sony this year.

On a side note, Phil also said in the same interview that Xbox will continue its focus on single-player games instead of chasing live service, which we can notice from the company’s lineup of upcoming releases.

Do you think these subscription services will decrease the number of players who want to own games, or is that too unrealistic a possibility? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.

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