Microsoft has been all in on the Xbox Game Pass. The tech giant recently closed a deal with Activision Blizzard worth $69 billion to bolster its library of titles on the game subscription service.
The Xbox Game Pass promises its subscribers a vast catalog of games at a fraction of the cost of an AAA title – one of the most prominent selling points of the Xbox platform.
Microsoft currently has three tiers for the service: Game Pass Core, Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate. The Ultimate tier includes Game Pass for PC and Xbox, EA Play, and access to cloud gaming.
Recent information suggests that Game Pass Ultimate is the most popular among the three tiers despite its price.
According to a document published by the European Commission, nearly 70%-80% of the service’s subscribers are paying a premium for the Game Pass Ultimate.
“With Game Pass Ultimate, which accounts for nearly 70-80% of the current subscribers,” the document reads.
The most expensive tier in the Game Pass lineup costs around $16.99 per month and features the biggest first-party titles from Microsoft including Forza Horizon 5, Hi-Fi Rush, and Red Fall. Starfield will soon be joining the stacked lineup when it releases in September and will be available from day one.
One of the biggest draws of Game Pass Ultimate is being able to play games via cloud streaming. Gamers on mobile phones and laptops can play AAA games with just a stable internet connection. It is even possible for subscribers to game on their Apple Silicon-powered Macbooks.
All the benefits included in the Game Pass Ultimate tier have convinced a majority of its subscribers to the highest tier. Microsoft also recently offered Xbox Live Gold subscribers to convert their subscriptions to Game Pass Ultimate for just $1.
Microsoft is beefing up its library of Game Pass titles with its recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We recently saw a resurgence of older Call of Duty titles after Microsoft fixed the server issues with the matchmaking.
However, if you are hoping to see Diablo or the most recent Call of Duty titles on the Game Pass, you will be out of luck. Blizzard has made it clear that Diablo 4 will not be on Game Pass while Call of Duty may be a few years away from adding its most recent titles on the subscription service.
And unfortunately, we can’t say how much Microsoft earns from the Game Pass as the document released by the European Commission has been heavily redacted. Microsoft also has not revealed the total number of subscribers on the platform.
If nothing else, this is a massive win for Microsoft after Sony revealed a relatively “paltry” percentage of PS Plus subscribers that are on PS Plus Extra or Premium.
