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

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.

A number of changes have been made to Xbox Game Pass Quests, opening them up to PC Game Pass users, but restricting them for users under 18.

Microsoft announced its first wave of Xbox Game Pass games coming in January. Seven games total are coming to the subscription service, one of which is one of the most beloved and influential ARPGs of all time.

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 Game Pass may cut game sales by up to 80%, but it also helps games reach more players and boosts sales on other platforms.

A journalist and market data expert has suggested that Game Pass launches help boost PS5 game sales more than they help Xbox. Christopher Dring, formerly of GameIndustry.biz, revealed during a Q&A session with Install Base Forum that games launching on Microsoft’s subscription service can lose up to 80% of their expected premium sales on Xbox.