Mike Brown, creative director of Forza Horizon 5, defended Xbox Game Pass on the Minn Max podcast, calling it a "good idea." He acknowledged that while Microsoft has invested heavily in the service and made numerous acquisitions to populate it, "not enough people have subscribed to it at prices that they needed to pay in order to make that business viable." Brown praised Game Pass as "well-meaning," "player-focussed," and a concept that likely enabled games that might not otherwise have been created. He noted that despite a target of 77 million subscribers, Game Pass reportedly peaked at 30 million.

Brown expressed sadness over recent Xbox leadership changes and layoffs, praising former leaders Sarah Bond and Phil Spencer. Under new CEO Asha Sharma, Xbox is reportedly shifting focus from Game Pass and game production towards its hardware business and exclusive titles. Game Pass has seen price reductions, and titles like Call of Duty have been removed from day-one launches on the service.