Microsoft’s bright idea of an Xbox subscription model finally gets something that might make you fork out the monthly cost: new games.
Subscriptions can be a great idea when they package what you love, but if it’s just old stuff, chances are folks won’t buy in.
That was certainly one of the hurdles of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass when it launched last year, and while it had a good 100 games in its library for one price, much of it was old hat. Try getting gamers to go for that, and chances are they’ll just stick with the hat, leaving the home and finding the games they really want.
Microsoft appears to have learned something though, and this week has announced improvements to its Xbox subscription model, updating the service with plans to release properly new games to the service, so much that they’re going to be bigger titles.
In fact the news is properly big, especially if you‘ve been as curious as Pickr’s game guru Rhys about the upcoming swashbuckling high seas action title “Sea of Thieves”, which will be added to the Xbox Game Pass subscription when it launches on March 20. That means if you are a subscriber, you’ll get it without having to pay for it, as well as upcoming games like “Crackdown 3” and “State of Decay 2” when they launch later on, as well as other titles from Xbox’s popular series.
“We firmly believe Xbox Game Pass will be a catalyst to create new opportunities for game developers and publishers to innovate in the way games are developed and delivered, leading to entirely new ways to play,” said Phil Spencer, Head of Gaming for Microsoft.
Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass is already available to all Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X owners, with the service offering a 14 day trial and a $10.95 monthly charge after that. Wait a couple of months and a few new games should even appear. Properly new, even.
