Xbox Game Pass: Microsoft to Pay Up to $50 Million for a Single AAA Game

An investment that demonstrates the weight of major releases on the subscription service.

More stories in the category Xbox Game Pass

• Xbox Game Pass: Full-speed week with the Forza series
• Xbox Game Pass receives tomorrow an important game and prepares new releases for July
• Updated tricks to get Xbox Game Pass cheaper in 2025

Xbox Game Pass remains one of the most powerful pillars of Microsoft’s strategy in the video game world. But, how much does it really cost to maintain such a vast catalog with releases of such a high level? Thanks to a new leak, we now have a clearer estimate: Microsoft may pay up to $50 million to incorporate a single AAA game into the service.

The figure is not official, but it comes directly from the LinkedIn profile of one of the people responsible for business development at Xbox. In his professional history, this employee confirms that investments to add titles to Game Pass range between $50,000 and $50 million, depending on the type of game, its scale, and its potential impact. Big releases from external studios, such as GTA V, Assassin’s Creed or MLB The Show, would be at the highest end of the scale.

Microsoft Invests Big in Game Pass… but Also Hits the Mark with Indies

It’s not all about big productions: the same executive recalls that he personally secured the arrival of Vampire Survivors to the service, one of the great independent surprises of recent years. That title, with a much lower cost, achieved enormous impact, attracting millions of players and even earning the public support of Phil Spencer.

In parallel, analyst Christopher Dring has recalled that Xbox Game Pass is profitable for Microsoft, despite the high cost of maintaining its catalog. This is due to the combination of subscriptions, agreements with studios, and the media exposure that the ecosystem generates. A complex business model, but one that continues to grow year after year.