Game Pass subscriptions grew 5 million in five months

Xbox Game Pass subscribers have grown by nearly 50% in just 5 months, showing just how powerful the subscription service is.

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Microsoft's Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions are so important they've become the center of Xbox. Consoles are just the delivery mechanism for Game Pass, which has in turn become the premiere delivery avenue for games and content. The value-oriented service now has 15 million subscribers, Microsoft confirmed, up nearly 5 million paid users since April 2020.

This growth is tremendous for the Xbox brand. As we've said before, Microsoft doesn't care all that much about hardware sales. It's doubled-down on services using Windows 10 PC-console cross-connectivity and Xbox LIVE as the bedrock for its business. Game Pass is an evolution of that plan, and it's starting to come to fruition.

Game Pass proves Microsoft doesn't need to sell 100 million consoles to generate tons of sustainable, long-term revenues. Xbox routinely makes $10-11 billion every quarter for Microsoft, and is poised to deliver even more as it continues adding huge value to the Game Pass service.

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Microsoft is going all-in on Game Pass and isn't afraid to flex its checkbook to acquire new content.

Case in point: Microsoft just bought Bethesda for $7.5 billion, and Xbox is now the home of Fallout, Doom, and The Elder Scrolls--among all of ZeniMax Media's other IPs.

Since its launch in 2017, Game Pass has had a material effect on Xbox earnings. Yearly revenues have steadily risen thanks in part to Game Pass, which offers access to over 100 games for a set monthly fee.

This growth should continue as more content rolls out on the service in the coming years, including Bethesda's upcoming Starfield IP and The Elder Scrolls VI.