The Covid pandemic has done loads of damage, but for the gaming industry not so much.
The last official public announcement that we got regarding the subscriber count for Xbox Game Pass was in January 2021 when it stood on 18 million. Yesterday on the 29th of September 2021, Strauss Zelnick – CEO of Take-Two Interactive – let it slip that the count is now standing at 30 million subscribers.
new Phil Spencer shelf alert. The host interviewing Spencer says Xbox Game Pass is at 30 million subs, and Spencer replies that 18 million is the last public number 🤔 https://t.co/PZkWQeD42L pic.twitter.com/Nd3qNW6hPS
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) September 29, 2021
Was the count reveal just a slip of the tongue by Zelnick or was it an intentional jab to see what reaction he could draw out of Spencer? Either way, we aren’t quite sure if 30 million is an accurate number as Spencer didn’t allow for much elaboration on it, merely stating that the last public announcement was that of the 18 million, which Zelnick followed on from that reply with a little smirk and “For some reason, I thought it was 30. It’s more than 18.” To which Spencer responds after the podcast host, Sharon Waxman, had asked “But it’s really 30?” with a smile and allows Zelnick continue on with his thoughts.
With a jump of around 12 million in these past 9 months, it does seem a little astounding but definitely not impossible. With a subscription service that’s constantly updating its games library that allows unlimited access, as well as an inclusion of up to 30 Bethesda titles, you can see why Xbox Game Pass has taken off so well.
If this really is the case that Xbox Game Pass now has over 30 million subscribers, why the secrecy about it? Are they planning something special or are they holding out for another milestone before an official announcement?
I think that it’s safe to say that the Covid pandemic has played a fair role in the major hike in numbers due to the fact that lockdown has (or at least largely did for quite some time) render everyone pretty much under house arrest and for most, it came down to “what better way to spend this extra time at home than to indulge in some game time?”
Even those who weren’t much in the gaming scene took the dive and got hooked. Platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming have also seen major spikes in their viewership and participant numbers, as well as Steams concurrent users, hitting a peak during the pandemic.

Not only is gaming a great pastime as is, but it also allows for online interactions as another way for socializing in these times of isolation.
The question that remains is, will these new record subscriber numbers decline once things dissipate a little more back to normality or whether the new-found love for (or rediscovery of the passion for) gaming will remain? Quite honestly I don’t see the numbers dropping, if anything this could goad Microsoft on to reach for even more.
Xbox Game Pass is a gaming subscription of Microsoft which allows access to hundreds of games, whether it’s on PC or an Xbox console. The library of games is regularly updated and you have free access to each of these games as long as you’ve paid the monthly fee.

Out of interest, here’s the list of Bethesda games available:
- Arx Fatalis – PC
- The Evil Within – PC/Xbox
- The Evil Within 2 – PC/Xbox
- Fallout Tactics – PC
- Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition – PC
- Fallout New Vegas – Xbox
- Fallout 2 – PC
- Fallout – PC
- Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition – PC
- Fallout 3 – Xbox
- Fallout 76 – PC/Xbox
- Fallout 4 – PC/Xbox
- Wolfenstein 2 Standard Edition – PC
- Wolfenstein: The New Order – PC/Xbox
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood – PC/Xbox
- Wolfenstein: The Old Blood – PC/Xbox
- Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus – Xbox
- Doom – Xbox
- Doom Eternal Standard Edition – PC/Xbox
- Doom (1993) – PC/Xbox
- Doom 64 – PC/Xbox
- Doom 2 Classic – PC/Xbox
- Doom 3 – PC/Xbox
- The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition – PC/Xbox
- The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind – Xbox
- The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind Game of the Year Edition – PC
- The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition – PC
- The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion – Xbox
- The Elder Scrolls Online – Xbox
- Dishonored Definitive Edition – PC/Xbox
- Dishonored 2 – PC/Xbox
- Dishonored: Death of the Outsider – PC/Xbox
- Prey – PC/Xbox
- Rage – Xbox
- Rage 2 -PC/Xbox
Turboverse TV Looks At The Thread
The interview was taken down due to the fact that it wasn’t supposed to be released as yet, as well as the count leak by Zelnick…of numbers that he shouldn’t actually know.