Microsoft announced that it will now be including games from Microsoft Studios in the Xbox Game Pass service. All new Xbox One exclusive games from the company will be released on the subscription service.
The first Microsoft Studios title that will be released on the service will be Sea of Thieves on March 20.
Xbox Game Pass Expands
Microsoft says that the number one suggestion for the service was to include the new, big games being released on the console.
"We've also heard from fans that the ability to play new blockbuster games in Xbox Game Pass is important. So we've continued to explore new ideas to make this possible," said Microsoft in a statement.
This new expansion will include titles like State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 2, and titles that have yet to be announced. This means possible future titles from Xbox exclusives such as Halo, Forza, and Gears of War will be available from the moment they are released.
Along with the addition of new titles to the service, Microsoft also announced that it would be offering more subscription options for Xbox Game Pass. The new option will let players get a 6-month card available at select retail partners, such as GameStop for $59.99.
Xbox Game Pass was announced in May 2017 and launched in June 2017. It offered more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games upon launch. The cost of the service is $9.99 for Xbox Gold subscribers. Titles in the service are taken out and put into rotation each month.
Microsoft's addition of titles from its own game studios makes sense. It probably should' have been included in the service from the launch. Most of its big games were nowhere to be seen when the service first launched last year. The addition of the new blockbusters will make gamers think twice about subscribing, especially with the news that these will be available in the service from day one.
Subscription services are seen as the future for consoles. Users can already buy titles and download directly without having to go and buy the game disc. Game streaming may be the next step to this kind of service for game companies. Xbox Game Pass doesn't use streaming, users still have to download the full game onto the console before they can play it.
Microsoft is looking for every advantage it can get in the console wars. In December, the Xbox One was able to outsell the PlayStation 4, but both lagged behind the behemoth that's been the Nintendo Switch in sales.
