Game Pass Price Increase Is Inevitable, Says Spencer; More Unannounced Japanese Games Are in Development

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer attended Tokyo Game Show 2023 in person to meet with fans and press alike. Japanese website Game Watch published a new interview with the executive just a few hours ago, and the conversation provides several tidbits worth reporting.

To begin with, Spencer said Game Pass is doing very well following the launch of Starfield, and with Forza Motorsport now looming on the horizon, Microsoft has finally achieved its goal of regularly releasing big titles on the subscription service. However, when asked about the likelihood of another Game Pass price increase in the future, Spencer said it's ultimately inevitable.

First, we always want to give you options in how you build your library. You can subscribe to Game Pass and play, or you can purchase the game. Currently, millions of users have subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, and many of them are satisfied with using it. Although the main premise is to provide more value, the price is I think it is inevitable that it will rise in the future. We recently raised our prices once, but the decision was made after careful consideration. We believe it is important to provide services that are recognized as being of sufficient value even if prices are increased.

In late June, Microsoft announced the first-ever Game Pass price increase, bumping the console subscription price from $9.99 to $10.99 and the GP Ultimate price from $14.99 to $16.99.

The executive also said that updating Starfield will be essential to encourage continued subscriptions and engagement with both Game Pass and the game itself, and that's exactly what Bethesda Game Studios is working on. The developer recently outlined its first patch.

Later in the interview with Game Watch, Spencer teased that Microsoft is working with Japanese studios to develop new games for Xbox, some of which are currently unannounced.

You can count on it. In fact, we released "Hi-Fi RUSH" this year. Although it was a small work rather than a masterpiece like "Blue Dragon'', it was a high quality work. Japanese game creators are also part of Microsoft Game Studios, and although there are some titles that cannot be announced yet, we are working with Japanese manufacturers to develop new games. The development environment is growing, including first-party and third-party, so I think we can expect more Japanese titles to appear in the future.

Nearly four years ago, Spencer said he would have liked to add more Asia-based game creators to Microsoft's first-party roster. However, between COVID and the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it's likely the opportunity never materialized. It'll be interesting to see whether the executive's attention will turn in that direction again now that the aforementioned deal is finally about to close.

In the meantime, Xbox fans can look forward to Japanese games such as Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Like a Dragon: Ishin! joining Game Pass.

Written by Alessio Palumbo