And in the process contradicts Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s claim Game Pass leads to more sales.
Microsoft has got itself into a bit of a muddle by admitting that games added to Xbox Game Pass do in fact sell fewer copies.
As GamesIndustry.biz reported, Microsoft made the admission as part of its discussions with the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over the Activision Blizzard acquisition. However, as Eurogamer reports, this contradicts what Xbox boss Phil Spencer claimed back in 2018.
At the time, Spencer said:
«When you put a game like Forza Horizon 4 on Game Pass, you instantly have more players of the game, which is actually leading to more sales of the game … You say, ‘Well isn’t everyone just going to subscribe for $10 and go play this thing?’ But no, gamers find things to play based on what everybody else is playing.»
In its provisional report last week the CMA stated, «Microsoft also submitted that its internal analysis shows a [redacted]% decline in base game sales twelve months following their addition on Game Pass.
