Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Says Game Pass 'Cloud Hours' Are Up 45%, Engagement Momentum 'Encouraging'

CEO of gaming astatine Microsoft, Phil Spencer, has revealed that compared to this clip past year, Game Pass unreality hours are up 45%.

Spencer said Microsoft was "building a aboriginal wherever gaming is much accessible that ever," and measures advancement by looking astatine engagement, the "momentum" for which helium described arsenic "encouraging." He besides reported that console unreality streaming hours are besides up 45%, and 24% much connected "other devices."

"Progress is besides astir much prime for players — play what you want, wherever you privation — and that’s what drives america forward," helium added. "Thanks to Team Xbox, our partners, and our players for helping marque this imaginativeness real."

Without a baseline measure, though, its hard to measure conscionable however impactful this is for Xbox, not slightest due to the fact that unreality gaming is disposable arsenic portion of Xbox Game Pass, and Microsoft’s daze terms emergence for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate past period saw prices leap 50% from $19.99 to $29.99 successful the U.S., resulting successful anger, cancellations, and frantic subscription stacking. Microsoft does not marque Game Pass subscriber numbers public, nor does it accidental however galore Xbox consoles it's sold. It tends not to denote crippled sales, either.

It’s worthy noting that Microsoft has said Game Pass reached a caller yearly grounds of astir $5 cardinal successful gross this year, pursuing the launches of The Elder Scrolls Oblivion: Remastered, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Microsoft has insisted “creator participation” and “player engagement” successful Game Pass are astatine an all-time high, without providing hard numbers.

Interestingly, Spencer's latest comments travel arsenic rumors swirl that Microsoft is reportedly acceptable to motorboat a escaped mentation of Xbox Cloud Gaming with ads for PC, Xbox consoles, handheld devices, and the web. A mentation of Xbox Cloud Gaming supported by ads is reportedly being tested internally, and would not necessitate a Game Pass subscription. A nationalist trial is said to beryllium coming soon.

It's been a rocky twelvemonth each circular for the company. In July, amid layoffs that swept done Xbox, the laminitis of Microsoft-owned Arkane Studios deed retired astatine Game Pass, calling the subscription exemplary “unsustainable.” Raphael Colantonio, who founded the Dishonored and Prey developer and served arsenic its president earlier leaving successful 2017 to commencement Weird West shaper WolfEye Studios, took to societal media to ask: “Why is no-one talking astir the elephant successful the room? Cough cough (Gamepass).”

The outgo of being an Xbox instrumentality has besides been a blistery taxable this year. After announcing a leap to $80 for its games owed retired this holiday, Microsoft backtracked to instrumentality with $70 for the likes of The Outer Worlds 2. It besides raised the terms of Xbox consoles successful the U.S. not erstwhile but twice, blaming "changes successful the macroeconomic environment." Microsoft likewise raised eyebrows erstwhile it confirmed a $999.99 terms tag for the ROG Xbox Ally X handheld, and $599.99 for the ROG Xbox Ally.

If you're hunting for the champion offers this week, we're actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals connected video games, tech, and more. You tin find each our apical picks and terms drops successful our afloat Black Friday hub, oregon cheque retired our applicable pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.