A Study Reveals Xbox Game Pass’s Real Impact Might Be on Purchases, Not Playtime
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A new industry study is questioning whether Xbox Game Pass is changing how people play games at all. A study conducted by market research firm Newzoo concluded that Xbox Game Pass subscribers behave much like PlayStation players.
Despite Microsoft’s huge investment in studios and exclusive titles, the data shows Xbox gamers aren’t necessarily playing more games or spending more hours on them compared to their PlayStation counterparts.
“Despite all the efforts done by Microsoft with Game Pass, we struggled to find significant, different behaviour compared to players on PlayStation,” Emmanuel Rosier, Newzoo’s director of market intelligence, said on the Game Wise podcast (via The Gamer).
The research focused on games played for more than two hours, suggesting many subscribers may be trying titles briefly but not sticking around.
This “sampling” habit could be hurting major releases. Rosier pointed to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as an example, warning that its inclusion in Game Pass might reduce traditional sales.
For players, the service still offers strong value, especially for those who enjoy trying new releases without paying full price. But for big studios banking on launch-day sales, the trend could signal trouble.
If this behavior continues, Game Pass may be less of a game-changer in terms of player engagement and more of a tool for how games make money.
