A recent episode of the Official Xbox Podcast announced a fascinating development - Xbox Game Pass has amassed 34 million users. Amid the unfolding of the release of the forthcoming Diablo 4 - the action role-playing game (ARPG), Xbox's chief executive, Sarah Bond, underscored the firm's focus. The strategic intent was to ensure broad accessibility to the Xbox, its user experience, and the games it produces - as obvious from its reach to 34 million Game Pass subscribers.
Highlighting the pace and scale of the subscription service's growth, the revelation is notably striking. It was only in January 2022 that the company stated its subscriber count to be more than 25 million. Hence, the numbers indicate a robust growth trajectory of the platform over the previous two years.
Xbox Game Pass, popularly likened to a Netflix-esque offering for the gaming fraternity, is a subscription-based service available across platforms such as Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, specific smartphones and tablets, smart TVs, and some top VR headsets through game streaming. It offers a myriad of games for play, charging a monthly subscription fee. The value proposition is compelling, especially for the owners of the recent Xbox consoles, leading to the service's escalating popularity.
Bolstering the service's appeal was the announcement of Diablo 4's addition to the service, a direct consequence of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The podcast also hinted at this being just the beginning, with more Activision Blizzard offerings likely to arrive. Speculations are rife about the potential addition of the immensely popular first-person shooter (FPS) series Call of Duty, which is high on the list for FPS fans eager to get more out of their money.