Xbox Game Pass Suddenly Doesn't Feel Like The Best Deal In Gaming Anymore

Though Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass has maintained a steady presence in the industry as one of its most prominent subscription services, its success might not last. From its original launch in 2017, Game Pass has seen significant growth, with an ever-expanding library of games that have come to boast some of the biggest releases in the industry — even highly-anticipated titles like and, both of which made their way to Game Pass day one of their respective release dates. However, as the service's growth stalls, its future may be uncertain.

With each new console generation, it seems like Xbox has been on the back foot against its main competitors. In the popular view, this started with the Xbox One's disastrous showcase at E3 2013, where the console's required online connection and restrictions on media sharing almost immediately tanked its reputation. In the generations since, Xbox's strategy has seemingly shifted more towards services than hardware, with the introduction of Game Pass and a string of game development studio acquisitions. Currently, however, as several of Microsoft's acquired studios face cuts or closure, Xbox may be shifting strategies yet again.

New reports indicate that there may be a catch that frustrates Call of Duty players if the series finally comes to Xbox Game Pass.

As reported by industry analyst Matt Piscatella on X,the growth of "" has slowed significantly from its peak, having seen only a 2% increase from 2022 to 2023 and an even lesser 1% going into 2024. While this is generally bad news for services like PlayStation Plus and GeForce Now, the stalled growth of subscription services seems even worse for Xbox, which has seemingly been hinging its strategies heavily on the success and continued growth of Game Pass, and which has essentially «lost» the «console war» in terms of hardware and exclusive offerings.

In the future,this could mean lessened investment in both Game Pass itself and in the development of new games to fill its library