A series of leaked documents surfaced from the FTC when they initially tried to block the deal against Microsoft’s attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard. Now, a series of documents have leaked out, giving consumers a look inside Microsoft’s plans for the future. This is a major hit for Microsoft as fans are now aware of aspects like a mid-gen refresh for the Xbox Series X/S platforms. But now we’re getting a report that among the list of leaked documents that surfaced online includes the fees that Microsoft anticipated paying for games on their Xbox Game Pass service.
The Xbox Game Pass service has become popular for Xbox Series X/S players. We’re getting a nice collection of video games to enjoy for a small monthly fee. However, there was a point that Microsoft was lacking in games in 2022. First-party games were delayed, and that ultimately left some notable gaps. According to Eurogamer’s report, there was an email sent out from Xbox head Phil Spencer, who noted that this was a real issue and poor planning on their part. As a result, they wanted to plan forward on potential third-party games that could be featured on Xbox Game Pass at launch.
Previously, details about deals made for Xbox Game Pass have not been made available. We don’t know just how much money is spent to acquire games or what other deals might come to ensure games land on the subscription service. However, according to the report by Eurogamer, the email chain between some of the executives and Phil Spencer was getting a rough estimate of what some titles might cost Microsoft. Interestingly enough, some different deals might have come into play.
At the time, it was reported that bigger games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor would cost Microsoft $300 million while something like Mortal Kombat 1 would set them back about $250 million. Other titles in the mix ranged from Dying Light 2 to the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which would fetch $100 million or under. Eurogamer also noted that Microsoft reportedly found that some of Take-Two Interactive games, like Red Dead Redemption 2, would potentially cost them $5 to $15 million per month. So, it looks like there are instances in which Microsoft can get away with paying a one-time fee to acquire the game for a duration of time. However, there are cases that games could come with a monthly fee.
