Even more shocking though is Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s suggestion that Microsoft would exit the games industry entirely, if the number of Game Pass subscribers doesn’t hit 110 million by 2030. Microsoft only rarely reveals subscriber numbers but in January 2022 they were at 25+ million.
Previous leaks already revealed that Microsoft is planning to release its next gen console in 2028 and the slide shows a best case scenario of Game Pass subscribers reaching 110 million within two years of the next gen console launching., Spencer was asked what would happen if they didn’t reach this goal and his answer was:
‘A majority of our customers are found off of our own hardware, I would hope by earlier than 2030. So, when you asked me if I agreed with this chart that the light green and blue depending on what colours you see there would have to be much larger much earlier. I would say by financial year 2026, 2027 that we should be in that position, or we’d have to make a different decision with the business.’