Ex-Forza Horizon 5 Director Blames Xbox Cuts on Weak Game Pass Growth
Updated
Updated · Eurogamer.net · Jul 21
Ex-Forza Horizon 5 Director Blames Xbox Cuts on Weak Game Pass Growth
3 articles · Updated · Eurogamer.net · Jul 21
Summary
Mike Brown, former Forza Horizon 5 director, said Xbox’s recent layoffs and studio divestitures stemmed from Game Pass failing to attract enough paying subscribers to make the model viable.
Brown said Microsoft poured heavy investment into acquisitions, game funding and hiring to keep a steady flow of titles on the service, but subscriber growth never matched those costs.
Last year’s Game Pass price hike was already seen as an attempt to improve the economics, and new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma later reversed course by dropping day-one Call of Duty releases from the service.
Brown still called the subscription concept player-friendly and valuable for funding diverse games, but said it fell short of Microsoft’s expectations, leaving Xbox’s broader strategy under pressure.