One of Microsoft’s most successful services in recent years has been Xbox Game Pass, which allows subscribers to experience blockbuster titles for a small monthly fee, including new first-party titles like Halo Infinite and Extreme. Racing: Horizon 5 can be experienced in XGP.
Today, the XGP service has won 25 million members. However, Microsoft has not always been optimistic about this business. According to the Wall Street Journal, Spencer was the key figure in making the XGP business land and even withstood some doubts from internal employees.
Richard Irving, who worked at Microsoft for 12 years before leaving in 2016, said that Spencer was willing to listen to employee objections at meetings, such as publishers’ lack of interest in the business, XGP’s serious impact on profits, and so on.
But listen carefully, Spencer’s trust in XGP is unwavering. He’s not going to accept failure, Irving said. He’s been looking for ways to make this service happen.
Today, XGP services have become a key element of Microsoft’s competitive differentiation from Sony and Nintendo. Sony is also rumored to be interested in launching a service that mimics XGP.