Overview
- Citing a June 18 post on X, Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler said Game Pass “could’ve worked” but its catalogue lacks the big, must‑play games that make people keep paying each month.
- Mahler warned the service’s incentives encourage studios to produce lower‑effort releases rather than chase breakout hits, saying that dynamic has left many first‑party teams “floundering.”
- Xbox has acknowledged that a price rise last year cost it “millions” of subscribers and publicly reported 34 million users in February 2024, putting pressure on the company to restore profitability.
- Reports say Microsoft announced a 100‑day business reset in early June and is weighing cuts or restructurings to some studios, though specific closures named in coverage have not been confirmed by the company.
- The catalogue is mixed: Game Pass has delivered recent third‑party day‑one hits and a major exclusive in Forza Horizon 6, but critics say those titles have not been enough to reverse subscriber and content concerns and may lead Microsoft to change how it funds and rewards developers.