The affirmation of Phil Spencerchief Xboxenough to Game pass wouldn’t cannibalize game sales may not be true, says UK report from investigations into Activision Blizzard’s takeover Microsoft.
Now, Microsoft has released a statement refuting the report’s findings, Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s video game subscription service, often referred to as the “Netflix of games.”
In 2018, shortly after the launch of Game Pass, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer claimed that Game Pass would increase sales of games available on both Game Pass and physical stores.
Spencer speculated that word of mouth about a game available on Game Pass would influence gamers who don’t subscribe to the service, leading to increased sales from gamers who don’t subscribe to Game Pass.
Now an interim report from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has concluded the opposite may be true. After reviewing internal Microsoft documents, the CMA found an (unspecified) percentage drop in base game sales in the year after a game was added to Game Pass.
Eurogamer has contacted Microsoft for further explanation of the CMA’s findings. An Xbox representative responded by suggesting that game creators who make games available on Game Pass are fairly compensated for their work and “have room for creativity and innovation.”
However, the statement makes no direct reference to Game Pass’ impact on overall game sales.