Xbox down, 2023 games, Xbox Game Pass… Phil Spencer talks | Xbox One

Phil Spencer spoke extensively during a recent interview with IGN. The Xbox boss answered various and varied questions, especially referring to the topic of Halo and 343 Industries, the lack of games in 2022 or even the strategy that the firm aims for in 2023. But the man was also questioned about Xbox Game Pass. , especially Microsoft’s latest numbers announcing a 12% drop in revenue from Xbox games and services.

“I am satisfied with this increase”

If you haven’t been following last week’s news, Microsoft released its fiscal 2023 second quarter results. On that occasion, we learned that the brand experienced a 13% drop in revenue and the “games” and services” segment, which includes first-party games and Xbox Game Pass, was down 12%.

When Phil Spencer was asked how he felt about the situation, and specifically his impression that Game Pass was taking longer to launch than the firm expected, he said:

Well, the thing with Game Pass is that we’re in uncharted territory in the industry with what we’re doing with this service. That’s why it’s harder for us to get into the field and look at examples to gauge how fast we need to develop. We’re the top tier for paid subscribers, and Game Pass continues to grow. I am happy with this increase. We set high internal goals and people see that sometimes we miss those goals, sometimes we reach them, but I will always be ambitious about what we are trying to achieve.

2021 was more interesting in terms of games

The Xbox boss notes that these figures are compared to the previous year and that Microsoft is having an interesting year in 2021. Indeed, the company could also hope for the release of Halo Infinite, Age of Empires from Forza. Horizon 5 to attract new players.

In comparison, Xbox didn’t release any major games in the second quarter of fiscal 2023, which inevitably had a direct impact on subscriber numbers:

I’d say the quarterly numbers you’re talking about for software and services… keep in mind that’s a comparison over a year. Last year this quarter had Age of Empires, Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite. All these games have done very well for us, and as we mentioned, we haven’t had such a big release in the same quarter this year.

So year-to-year comparisons have declined, and that’s not something we want when running a business. This is not our goal, but all this has a certain time.

2023 should be a game changer

If Microsoft could not hope to release big games to attract new players in 2022, there is no doubt that this year 2023 will change the situation radically. With the arrival of Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends or even Starfield, Xbox will have plenty of titles to sell its flagship service this time around.

For Phil Spencer, launching big games on Game Pass at a regular pace is key to that growth, and when asked how important titles like Redfall and Starfield are to the service, he says:

Redfall and Starfield are very important games, as are all the 1st party games we build. Game Pass growth was steady. And we’re seeing continued growth as we add new games and playsets. Sometimes the surge is due to games we’ve been waiting for, and then every once in a while Vampire Survivors or now Hi-Fi Rush comes along and creates its own excitement. So sometimes you can guess which games will generate excitement, and sometimes you’re surprised. That’s what I love about our industry: great games can come from many different places.

The Xbox boss is also very enthusiastic about the power that Bethesda brings to the Xbox portfolio. Not to mention, recently with the upcoming launch of Redfall, the sequel to The Elder Scrolls Online shadow drop From Hi Fi: Rush and huge expectations around Starfield, Bethesda is really taking the Xbox space to perfection at the beginning of the year.

We can’t wait to see what the brand has in store for us in 2023. Xbox Game Studios has many projects currently in development, and you can find a list of exclusive Xbox games planned for 2023, 2024 and beyond, especially in our section. dedicated article.