Xbox Game Pass reaches 25 million subscribers

The subscription service continues to grow ahead of Microsoft’s next big gaming acquisition.

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What you need to know

Xbox Game Passreached 25 million subscribers, Microsoft confirmed viaXbox Wireon Tuesday. Previously, the service reached a benchmark of18 million subscribersin Jan. 2021. This is an increase of seven million subscribers a year later.

The news of this new milestone came accompanying the announcement thatMicrosoft is acquiring Activision-Blizzard, a gaming publisher known for titles like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Microsoft is spending almost $70 billion in cash to complete the purchase, which is expected to go through regulation and finalize sometime before June 2023. Microsoft plans toadd games from Activision-Blizzard’s catalog to Xbox Game Passonce the deal is finalized.

Microsoft is aggressively expanding in order to grow its gaming content and attract more subscribers to Xbox Game Pass, previously acquiring Zenimax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5 billion Sep. 2020. That deal closed in March 2021, and is seeing several Xbox console exclusive games in development, including Bethesda Game Studios’Starfieldand Arkane Austin’sRedfall.

Everything you need

Xbox Game Pass gives you access to over 200 games for one monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also adds Xbox Live Gold to the package so you can play online with your friends. You also get access to EA Play.

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Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.