It’s unclear whether the extended convo has had a tangible impact on Game Pass subscription numbers. On the flip side, there’s no shortage of people calling this whole thing a “clout war” or saying that “no one cares.” (Sony’s generally vaunted first-party games won’t launch on PS Plus.) Also side note: It rules.) Other prominent members of the gaming cognoscenti lamented paying up front for months if not years of Game Pass, while others compared it unfavorably against the upcoming revamp of PS Plus, Sony’s competing subscription service.

“I’ll be back when the titles start dropping.” Washington Post reporter Gene Park shared a similar sentiment, pointing out that, over the past few months, the only game from the service he’s availed himself of is Trek to Yomi, a side-scrolling samurai action game. “The service is great but there aren’t any AAA exclusives to compel me to stay,” Tom’s Guide writer Tony Polanco said in a tweet. That tape on a Starfield helmet is temporary. By that maths, you’d need to play two full-price games via Game Pass every four months to justify the cost. Let’s also assume any big-budget games, exclusive or not, that hit the service cost an industry-standard $US60 ($83). Now, they won’t come out until the first half of 2023, leaving Microsoft’s first-party portfolio looking much drier than it did a month ago.Īll right, time for some reductive maths! Let’s say that you’ve signed up for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, which costs $US15 ($21) a month and includes standard access to the game library plus a number of other perks. Both were expected to launch day-one on Game Pass this year. But the big selling point is this: Every first-party Microsoft game hits the library at launch, meaning subscribers get access at no extra cost to Microsoft’s prestigious first-party releases, like Halo Infinite or Forza Horizon 5.Įarlier this month, Bethesda - officially now one of Xbox’s first-party studios, following an industry-shaking acquisition in 2021 - delayed its two biggest forthcoming games: space-RPG Starfield and vampire shooter Redfall (developed by Bethesda subsidiary Arkane). For a monthly fee, Game Pass grants you access to a Netflix-style library of games that you can download to your Xbox or PC (or, in some cases, stream to a compatible device). The burnout largely comes down to subscribers saying that Game Pass isn’t delivering on its value proposition.

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