Xbox Game Pass was a good idea in theory, former Forza Horizon 5 director says, but "the reality is not enough people have subscribed"

Xbox Game Pass was built on a well-meaning and player-focused concept, but the subscription service ultimate failed to attract enough paying users to sustain its aggressive expansion, according to former Forza Horizon 5 director Mike Brown.

In an interview with MinnMax reported by Eurogamer, Brown reflected on the strategy behind the service and its broader role in Xbox's recent restructuring. Brown, who currently leads development on the open-world racer Clutch at Maverick Games, noted that Xbox "invested a fortune in the concept of Game Pass as a service, which led to loads of teams being acquired, loads of games being funded, loads of people getting jobs, all with a vision of getting regular games landing in this service for players."

The Financial Reality of Game Pass

Despite the initial investment and ambitious content goals, Brown stated that the service struggled to achieve its financial targets.

"It's a good idea. Let's have a subscription, make it affordable, try and get games to more people. We'll have a really diverse selection of games on there. We'll get a load of studios involved. We'll make some games that probably couldn't exist otherwise," Brown explained. However, he argued that the model ultimately ran into financial limits.

"The reality is not enough people have subscribed to it at the prices that they needed to pay in order to make that business viable," Brown said. "And 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."

Leadership and Restructuring

Brown's comments come amid significant structural changes at Xbox. The company recently underwent a massive round of layoffs alongside the divestiture and spin-off of several studios. The leadership hierarchy also shifted earlier in 2026, with former Xbox leader Sarah Bond replaced by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma.

Speaking on the executive transition, Brown praised Bond's leadership during her tenure. "I really, really liked Sarah Bond," Brown said. "Every time she spoke, she was so sharp, intelligent, impressive. It's one of those people where you could almost just lean back a bit when they speak because you almost feel a little bit comforted by how competent they are."

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