Since its debut in 2017, Xbox Game Pass subscription plans continue to attract more users, and remain relevant, especially after Microsoft ended the Activision deal, with Game Pass offering big titles like Call of Duty : Black Ops 6 from day one.
Now, according to an analysis by Ampere, a leading data and analytics company, Xbox Game Pass is expected to generate $5.5 billion by the end of next year.
“Ampere estimates that global Game Pass ARPU [average revenue per user] across all service tiers will increase 5.4% in 2024 and is expected to jump to a 15.3% increase in 2025,” the analysis states.
Earlier this year, Microsoft reported that Xbox Game Pass had reached 34 million subscribers, despite slow growth on consoles. Two years ago, the Redmond tech giant reported 25 million.
Despite recent reports that Xbox is raising the price of its Game Pass Ultimate plan, user enthusiasm for the subscription service doesn't seem to be waning, as the green console camp has also launched another plan, Xbox Game Pass Standard, which excludes day-one game releases but includes multiplayer access.
However, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sees things a little differently. In a recent court filing, regulators said the new Xbox Game Pass Standard tier is a “degraded product” and criticized recent price increases.
The FTC also accuses Microsoft of pushing users toward more expensive or less valuable service options, which they say is harmful to consumers and demonstrates Microsoft's post-merger market power.