Xbox Game Pass is seeing a surge in subscribers as people around the world long for ways to connect. And Game Pass makes that easy.
Xbox Game Pass doesn’t have Friends, but it does have the friends we’ve made along the way. And that’s not just a silly phrase by a very clever reporter (don’t laugh). It’s one of the most powerful elements behind the success of Microsoft’s subscription service.
When analysts and investors compare Game Pass to other services like Netflix, it’s tempting to look at the latter’s strengths as the former’s weaknesses. Millions of people subscribe to Netflix to watch the same popular older shows, like The Office and Friends, over and over. Gaming doesn’t usually work the same way. People typically want newer games they’ve never tried before.
But while that is potentially an issue for gaming subscriptions (although games like Minecraft provide evidence that it isn’t), Game Pass has a different strength. Video games are much more social, and the network effect between friends could lead people to come back month after month.
