Game Pass lost "millions" of subscribers after raising prices
In October 2025, Microsoft drastically increased the cost of the Game Pass subscription. According to Xbox strategy director Matthew Ball, the corporation subsequently faced a significant loss of its audience.
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Ball discussed this in an interview with The Game Business at the Summer Game Fest 2026. He did not specify exactly how many people decided to stop using Game Pass, but noted that the number was in the millions.
As of today, the situation has improved, Ball acknowledged. He recalled that one of the first steps of the new head of Xbox, Asha Sharma, was to reduce the price of Game Pass. According to Ball, although the subscription cost has not returned to the level of last fall, the price reduction has "resonated" with gamers.
Microsoft has not shared information about the number of Game Pass subscribers for some time. The last time it publicly revealed data was in February 2024, when the subscription had around 34 million users. Later, the media claimed that by 2030, the corporation aims to increase this number to 100 million users, but whether this is actually the case remains unknown.