Phil Spencer is reportedly the one to thank for the creation (and eventual massive success) of Xbox Game Pass.
Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, speaks at the Xbox media briefing where new games were introduced on the eve of the annual E3 video game extravaganza in Los Angeles, California on June 9, 2014. Unveilings of blockbuster and enticing exclusive content came during the Xbox media briefing in Microsoft's opening salvo in the battle to dominate E3 and invigorate Xbox One sales, to be met with return fire from Sony later in the day with its own grand event touting PlayStation 4 titles.
According to an IGN report, it was he who pushed hard to get Game Pass off the ground, even if there were a lot of "internal doubts" about the service. When it started life as an offshoot of Microsoft's cloud service business, not many people within the company saw the service's potential early on.
Spencer was the subject of a recent profile article by Wall Street Journal. In there, it was revealed that even when presented with numerous arguments against Game Pass, the Xbox head simply wouldn't relent.
There were mentions of meetings where Spencer's staff would argue why Game Pass won't work. Among their reasons were the possibility of publishers not participating, or the investment into Game Pass itself eating away at Microsoft's profits.
According to fellow Xbox veteran Richard Irving, Spencer "wouldn't take no for an answer," further adding that the latter was always trying to find ways to make it (Game Pass) work.
Eventually, the subscription service would be launched for the first time on June 1st 2017. Since then, it has cemented its reputation among gamers as a prime place to get games from a wide variety of publishers, all for a monthly fee of $9.99 ($14.99 for Game Pass Ultimate).
It would take the subscription service only a few years to become the now-undisputed leader in the game subscription market. To date, it has already grown to a massive 25 million subscribers across multiple countries, which The Verge reports is up from the previous 18 million reported in January 2021.
Since its release, Xbox Game Pass has been considered the veritable "Netflix of Video Games," with its rotating library of titles that can be accessed by any subscriber. It also offers Day One access to upcoming big releases, which is something that no other immediate competitor can't match as of late.
Xbox game pass gift cards are seen in a store in Krakow, Poland on August 26, 2021
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Game Pass' Success Is Phil Spencer's As Well
For his efforts in getting Microsoft to approve Game Pass, Spencer is getting rewarded in a big way soon.
A 30-year gaming industry veteran and Microsoft lifer, the current Xbox head is scheduled to be given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th Annual DICE Awards, reports IGN. The announcement for the award was made by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, with the actual awarding to be held this February 24 in Las Vegas.
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 03: Head of Xbox Phil Spencer speaks onstage during The Game Awards 2015 at Microsoft Theater on December 3, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Aside from the award, however, the Xbox head honcho's efforts concerning Game Pass is also putting the entire industry on notice. Protocol writes that the subscription service's model is the next big thing, especially now that it is being "validated" with news of Sony's competitor, codenamed Spartacus.
While Spencer himself did say that Sony's efforts to create their own Game Pass-like service is "not a validation" of his brain child's success, he did call it an "inevitability" and considers it the right answer to the needs of gamers all over the world right now (via Eurogamer).
Related Article: Phil Spencer Says Sony's Rumored Xbox Game Pass Competitor, Spartacus, Is A 'Good Idea'
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Written by RJ Pierce
