Xbox Game Pass may cost Microsoft up to 80% in premium sales. Could this impact their platform exclusivity strategy or not?

A journalist and market data expert has suggested that Game Pass launches help boost PS5 game sales more than they help Xbox.

With the massive deals launched through Game Pass, some releases lose up to 80% of profits they may have earned otherwise.

Xbox Game Pass subscriptions can give players an easy way to access tons of games, but it may result in a massive loss of actual game sales.

Now that Activision Blizzard is under the Microsoft umbrella, the publisher’s biggest franchise is part of Game Pass. And Black Ops 6 is the first new release to debut on the subscription service. That includes all of the game’s various modes: the cinematic single-player campaign, and multiplayer outings like Zombies.

Xbox has just announced that their, now seemingly annual, Developer Direct will return with four titles on January 23rd, 2025xbox developer direct 2025There are four titles listed for the show, which sees Xbox’s studios (and occasional 3rd parties) do in-depth dives into upcoming titles for the current year.

A report has come out that sheds light on revenue after a game is placed on Xbox Game Pass, and it suggests a title can lose "around 80% of its expected premium sales"