Xbox has revealed that this year marks its “largest investment” in the Xbox Game Pass subscription service to date, so it’s clear the company isn’t too fazed by discussions around whether the service is good for developers or not.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Xbox indie boss Chris Charla confirms that 2025 has seen the biggest investment in Game Pass in the service’s history, and he also reveals that Xbox has “signed deals with more than 150 partners to expand the catalog”.
Charla says that “the majority” of studios whose games have been included as part of Game Pass “want to bring their future titles to the service”, too, so the somewhat ambivalent buzz doesn’t seem to be deterring developers who’ve got experience with the platform either.
Xbox making its largest investment in Game Pass yet comes after a couple of high-profile industry figures expressed concern that the service might be doing more harm than good for developers, whether they be first-party or third-party studios.
Earlier this month, former Bethesda exec Pete Hines said subscription services were “worth jack shit” without companies making the effort to “figure out how to balance the needs of the service” with those who are “providing the content”.
PlayStation boss Shawn Layden appeared to agree, linking Hines’ comments on social media platform LinkedIn and asking whether subscription services were “healthy and helpful” for those who make games.
Layden’s comments drew agreement from former Xbox VP Shannon Loftis, who added that game adoption on Game Pass “comes at the expense of retail revenue” and that the service creates “weird inner tensions” among developers.
Whether or not Game Pass is actually good for developers is a question that’s likely to continue to spark debate, but one thing’s for sure: Xbox is still sure the service works. Stay tuned for more on this and all other things Game Pass-related.
