Forza Horizon director insists Xbox Game Pass hasn’t worked

Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown has insisted Xbox Game Pass simply hasn’t worked.

Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown has insisted Xbox Game Pass simply hasn’t worked.

The developer has weighed in on the fate of the subscription service, with Microsoft pulling in 30 million, rather than its 77m target by this stage.

He told MinnMax: “That’s actually just really sad because we’re now going to see studios getting shut down or spun off.

“Loads of people are going to lose their jobs. And that is honestly just a result of a well-meaning player-focused concept of Xbox Game Pass not quite landing.

“And I think that’s just, it’s just a real shame.”

Brown argued that Game Pass is a “good idea”, but it’s not worked out as well as it could have done.

He added: “If more people had subscribed, that makes enough money, and it works and all those studios go on and those games get made again and those teams will make other games.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t.”

CEO Asha Sharma recently acknowledged Game Pass was a bed that “did not grow at the pace we expected”.

The future of the service is unclear, while Microsoft itself previously admitted a certain percentage of base games sales decline a year after joining Game Pass.

A spokesperson later added back in 2023: “We’re focused on helping game creators of all sizes maximize the total financial value they receive through Game Pass.

“Each game is unique, so we work closely with creators to build a custom program to reflect what they need, ensure they are compensated financially for their participation in the service, and allow room for creativity and innovation.

“As a result, the number of developers interested in working with Game Pass continues to grow.”