Microsoft has introduced the July lineup of video games for Game Pass in its first announcement following the layoffs that ripped by the Xbox enterprise yesterday.
CEO Asha Sharma reduce 1,600 workers from Xbox yesterday, with one other 1,600 workers to go over the course of the subsequent 12 months. 4 studios have left Microsoft as a part of the restructure, which Sharma known as the “most vital in Xbox historical past.”
Explaining the cuts, Sharma admitted that Microsoft’s gaming technique had failed, and a key a part of that failure needed to do with Game Pass. The Wall Street Journal mentioned that Microsoft had anticipated Game Pass subscriptions to hit round 77 million this 12 months, but it surely presently has solely about 30 million. As revealed throughout the FTC vs Microsoft trial of 2023, Microsoft had hoped for 100 million subscribers by 2030, which appears not possible at this stage.
“Our enterprise as we speak will not be wholesome,” Sharma mentioned. “We’re working at margins which are 3-10x decrease than comparable platform and publishing companies. We entered Gen 9 with a smaller set up base and the next price construction. To develop, we guess on Game Pass, multi-platform, and a broader portfolio of content material. Whereas these companies have created significant worth, they didn’t develop on the tempo we anticipated. As that occurred, our core enterprise weakened, and we added extra groups, extra funding, and extra time, hoping for a greater consequence. And now the trade is going through probably the most extreme {hardware} disaster in its historical past. We should reset Xbox.”
Amid questions on the way forward for Game Pass and its significance to Xbox, Microsoft has introduced what subscribers can anticipate throughout the first half of this month. There are some huge names in right here, from Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1+ 2 to Palworld 1.0. Out there as we speak, July 6, is 2.5D motion Metroidvania Winds of Arcana: Ruination (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) throughout Game Pass Final, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass. The only real day one title is Ascend to Zero (Cloud, XBOX Sequence X|S, Handheld, and PC), which hits Game Pass Final and PC Game Pass on July 13.
There is no such thing as a point out of any of the cuts or studio exists in Microsoft’s Xbox Wire post asserting the Game Pass lineup.
Xbox Game Pass July 2026 Wave 1 lineup:
- Gears of Warfare: Reloaded (Cloud, XBOX Sequence X|S, Handheld, and PC) – July 9 Now with Game Pass Premium; becoming a member of Game Pass Final and PC Game Pass
- Tamashika (Cloud, XBOX Sequence X|S, Handheld, and PC) – July 9 Game Pass Final, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- Ascend to Zero (Cloud, XBOX Sequence X|S, Handheld, and PC) – July 13 Game Pass Final, PC Game Pass
- PBA Professional Bowling 2026 (Cloud, XBOX Sequence X|S, and PC) – July 14 Game Pass Final, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass
- Quarantine Zone: The Final Examine (Cloud, XBOX Sequence X|S, and PC) – July 15 Now with Game Pass Premium; becoming a member of Game Pass Final and PC Game Pass
- Mavrix by Matt Jones (Cloud, XBOX Sequence X|S, Handheld, and PC) – July 16 Game Pass Final, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- FixForce (Cloud, XBOX Sequence X|S, and PC) – July 17 Game Pass Final, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- Fogpiercer (PC) – July 17 Game Pass Final, PC Game Pass
- The Planet Crafter (Cloud, XBOX Sequence X|S, and PC) – July 21 Game Pass Final, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
- Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1 + 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – July 21 Game Pass Final, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass titles leaving July 15
- Dungeons of Hinterberg (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- EA Sports activities Soccer Membership 24 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Stellaris (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Golf With Your Buddies (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Minami Lane (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Powerwash Simulator (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Version (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Splitgate: Enviornment Reloaded (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Tremendous Fantasy Kingdom (Game Preview) (PC)
- Techtonica (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.