Xbox Game Pass has reached 34 million subscribers, Microsoft reveals

With the special podcast dedicated to the future of Xbox, Microsoft also revealed new data relating to subscribers to Xbox Game Passwhich have now reached the quota of 34 million usersaccording to reports with updated numbers.

This is what is reported by The Verge, which reports a 36% increase compared to the last data that was made public on subscribers to the service, which was 25 million dating back approximately two years ago. There was therefore growth on the net figure, although much slower than what Microsoft would have expected after the great initial surge.

This is the first time that Microsoft has revealed the data in question for a long time, given that the last time was in January 2022. The growth has lowered the pace but it still seems to have been quite substantial, however we are clearly very far from the objectives that Microsoft had initially set itself, i.e. 100 million for 2030 and exponential growth in the first years.

With Core subscribers or without?

However, there is a fundamental question that substantially changes the meaning of the result in question: the number also includes subscribers to Game Pass Core, or the ex-Xbox Live Gold? Because in that case the total quantity would not have increased, overall, but the question is rather doubtful.

Considering that in 2022 Xbox Game Pass was at 25 million and another 10 million or so were still Xbox Live Gold subscribers, the total would demonstrate a stalemate, but we cannot say at the moment how things are. There is a specific passage of post on the official blog which perhaps suggests the fact that Core users are excluded from this data.

Announcing the arrival of Diablo 4 on Game Pass, Microsoft reports “we're happy to share with you that Diablo 4 will be available to play by 34 million Game Pass subscribers on PC and Xbox starting March 28.”

The title in question is unlikely to be included in the catalog of free games for Game Pass Core subscribers, so it seems that the data refers to other users excluding Core users, but we are still awaiting any clarification in this regard. From today's podcast it also emerged that there is already a new console in the works and that some games will also be ported to other consoles.