- Xbox has seemingly frozen negotiations to bring third-party games to Game Pass.
- This tidbit comes via a known insider, who clarifies that contracts with third-party studios are on hold.
- Xbox is reportedly reviewing its Game Pass and the entire business strategy for the future.
Game Pass has failed to grow as well as Xbox leadership wanted, even after making it a core focus of its business strategy. Last year’s 50% price hike also saw millions of gamers leaving the service, and the numbers are far from recovering despite the new price drop.
Therefore, the future of the subscription service looks bleak. A new rumor mill now claims that Xbox has seemingly frozen current and planned contracts to bring more third-party titles to Game Pass.
Why it matters: Freezing contracts to bring more third-party titles to Game Pass would not only harm the service but also the independent indie studios that rely on the subscription as their core strategy. If true, it’s unclear how Game Pass would change in the future.
According to known industry insider @eXtas1stv, this controversial halt comes as Xbox reorganizes its Game Pass and entire business strategy moving forward. Supposedly, multiple developers confirmed this tidbit at the B2B First Playable trade show in Italy.
The signing of new third-party deals has been frozen for the time, with titles that were in early negotiations now also restricted from coming to Game Pass.
It’s unclear just exactly when this ‘blockade’ will be lifted from Game Pass, as this move also threatens indie developers that rely on the service to promote their games.
The subscription service is expected to undergo major changes in the coming months, with some of them being positive developments to help achieve its ‘100 million by 2030’ milestone.
Rumors have hinted at a more flexible Game Pass tier that lets you decide the features you want and the pricing structure. Similarly, there have also been rumblings of a first-party-only Game Pass tier.
Regardless, it is best to take the rumors with a pinch of salt, as Xbox has yet to confirm or deny these reports.
Do you think Game Pass will also go through significant changes as the new leadership shakes up the Xbox strategy moving forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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