At GDC 2022, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, spoke again about xbox game pass's strategic position on Xbox, which is one of the questions that many game developers besides gamers have. Phil Spencer still says that XGP is not his single core business, and game retail is still an important part of Xbox's business.
Phil Spencer says there is no one way to fit all the needs when it comes to business models. For Xbox, there is no business model that is a sure win. So, if developers don't want their games to be available for XGP, that doesn't mean they can't be profitable or have publishability. Because the retail model of game buying and selling is also an important part of Microsoft Xbox's income statement.
Microsoft XGP has become the most rapidly growing and influential subscription service in the game industry. The game library composed of Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass has solid content, and there are a large number of third-party works in addition to Microsoft first-party. In January 2022, XGP has reached 25 million subscribers, and with the blessing of this subscription service, XSS also has a higher entry cost performance compared to other digital home consoles.