Ex-Forza Horizon Director Calls Xbox Game Pass a Failure

Former Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown has described Xbox Game Pass as a well-intentioned idea that ultimately did not work.

Brown’s assessment is not that Game Pass offered poor value to players. Instead, he believes the service failed to attract enough subscribers to sustain the substantial costs associated with developing games and operating Xbox’s studios.

Game Pass Needed More Subscribers

As reported by IGN, Brown discussed the subscription service while reacting to the latest Xbox layoffs. He linked the ongoing cuts to a wider problem with Microsoft’s strategy, arguing that Game Pass never reached the scale required to make its model work.

“The concept of Game Pass was good,” Brown said. “Unfortunately it didn’t work.”

According to Eurogamer, Brown explained that “the reality is not enough people have subscribed.” He called the situation “a real shame,” particularly because of the human cost attached to Xbox’s restructuring.

That is a harsh verdict, but it does not necessarily mean Game Pass has failed from a consumer perspective. The service can still offer strong value, especially for players who regularly try new releases. Our breakdown of whether Xbox Game Pass is worth it examines that calculation from the player’s side.

The business question is far less straightforward.

Xbox’s Subscription Gamble Had Consequences

Microsoft’s core pitch was simple: place major first-party games on Game Pass at launch and use those releases to attract long-term subscribers. However, expensive development pipelines require enormous, consistent revenue. If subscriber growth slows, that approach becomes much harder to justify.

Price increases were one warning that the original proposition could not remain untouched forever. Microsoft previously raised Xbox Series X and Game Pass prices, while introducing different tiers and changing access to certain day-one releases.

Brown’s comments therefore land on the most uncomfortable part of the Game Pass debate. The service may have been generous to players, but generosity alone does not guarantee a sustainable business.

Microsoft has not abandoned Xbox hardware or its broader ecosystem, with court documents previously pointing toward a next-generation Xbox console. Still, if Brown’s assessment is accurate, Game Pass cannot keep operating on its original promises without further changes.