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A new report about Xbox Game Pass warns it’s the end of an era for the subscription, with substantial changes looming. It was once said that Xbox Game Pass was the greatest deal in gaming, and this was probably true, at one point, before it briefly became $30 a month and before the quality of the day-one games went dramatically downhill. There was a reason Xbox Game Pass was such a great deal, and it was because Microsoft was chasing rapid growth to obtain a massive install base. And it was completely unsustainable. Xbox Game Pass has always turned a profit, but at the expense of other revenue streams for Xbox. And it never came close to its internal subscriber count targets. To this end, it’s not surprising to hear a big reshuffle is reportedly already beginning.
The new report comes the way of eXtas1stv, a well-known Xbox insider with an inconsistent track record, but a source who has had undeniable leaks in the past, and, in particular, Xbox Game Pass leaks, making this report all the more likely. Citing multiple independent developers at the recent First Playable event, the Xbox insider has relayed word that Xbox boss Asha Sharma has completely frozen signing new third-party deals for Xbox Game Pass. Further, it has withdrawn offers that were already undergoing negotiations, leaving many independent teams scrambling. For those that do not know, over the last few years, many smaller independent teams have relied on the cash-up-front deals that come with subscription services like Xbox Game Pass or PS Plus. What’s behind this pivot? Well, it’s apparently so that Xbox can “regorganize” its strategy, indicating substantial changes. In fact, it sounds like a giant audit of the Xbox Game Pass division.
The End of an Era
The report continues by noting that it appears the era of unchecked expansion — alluded to earlier — is over. And this will almost certainly mean fewer games coming to Xbox Game Pass and fewer day-one games as well. And to be fair, this was obviously always going to happen when Sharma came in and cut the price of the subscription. This wasn’t charity. Sharma made it clear that it was to provide a more competitive subscription service at a more competitive price, but that loss of revenue is going to result in material changes to the subscription service, including fewer games.
The question now is, how noticeable will the reduction be? In 2026, the third-party day one games haven’t slowed down; they have just been completely unimpressive. The two highest-rated third-party day-one Xbox Game Pass games are Mixtape, with its 86 on Metacritic, and MIO: Memories in Orbit, with its 83 on Metacritic. And both of these are smaller indie games that serve a niche audience. All of this is to say, where can cuts even be made other than simply having fewer of these smaller day-one games?
All of that said, remember to take everything here with a grain of salt. None of this is official information, and even if it is accurate, it is subject to change.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the video game conversations happening over on the Forum.
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