Xbox Game Pass Won’t Stop Microsoft From Selling Games, Says Phil Spencer

Xbox Game Pass has become a phenomenon in the gaming industry since its release in 2018. Many players have switched to the Microsoft service due to its huge library of games and AAA releases. But, Phil Spencer has said that its popularity will never stop Microsoft from traditionally selling games. 

In an interview with The Verge earlier this November, the Xbox CEO talked about his vision for the Game Pass. Spencer clarified that players buying games will always stay a big part of how Xbox works. Hence solidifying, that the immense popularity of the service won’t change their ways.

Major Takeaways: 

• Buying and selling games will always stay a big part of Microsoft’s business, says Phil Spencer.
• The purpose of the Xbox Game Pass is to create options for players in how they play games. 
• According to the Xbox CEO, no subscription-exclusive games will be put on the Game Pass.

Phil Spencer further talked about how the Xbox Game Pass is there for a specific type of consumer. It doesn’t replace the traditional buying and owning experience, but helps them enlarge their game libraries. The Xbox head further said that he doesn’t expect everyone to pay $15 for the service even with its merits:

We don’t have the vision that everyone will pay us $15 a month. We think subscriptions are an interesting business model for certain types of games and for certain customers. I really see it as a diversification of how people build their library of games.”

According to him, the people who spend money on games are an important part of Microsoft’s business. The Xbox Game Pass just offers an alternative to the traditional experience, it’s not a replacement. Phil Spencer also said that this will be the case for years to come:

 In my opinion, this (selling games) will always be part of the business. I think the people who buy and own their games will be an important part of the business for years to come.”

The basic goal of the Xbox Game Pass is to give more options to the players, according to Phil Spencer. Game Pass diversifies how players play video games and helps them play more games for less money. Hence, it brings more gamers to the medium and generally makes it easier for them according to Spencer: 

We’re really looking at whether we can get more people to play more games and make it easy for every player who wants to play.”

Phil Spencer also said that Microsoft won’t make any subscription-exclusive games. They still like when players buy games and it’s a big part of the industry, so the popularity of Game Pass won’t stand in the way of buying. Hence, both of these things will go hand in hand for years to come.

That’s why you won’t see us making subscription-exclusive games or trying to push people away from buying games. We love it when people buy games. It is fantastic. We also love it when people subscribe.”

With all of the debate around the Xbox Game Pass, it’s nice to hear directly from Phil Spencer. Having more options is never a bad thing and only allows more people to enjoy the experience. We can only hope that whatever this subscription service does, is for the betterment of gaming.

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