Xbox may have lost the "console wars," but they still have a great service when it comes to the Xbox Game Pass which allows players access to hundreds of great games with just one subscription.
Even if that is the case, Xbox head Phil Spencer thinks that the Game Pass is only for a certain group of gamers, and may not be the best deal for casual fans.
“It’s Not for Everybody”
In a recent talk with Variety, Spencer was asked about the current role of Xbox Game Pass in the gaming space, to which he commented: “For me, I look at Game Pass as a healthy option for certain people. It’s not for everybody. If you play one or two games a year, Game Pass probably isn’t the right business model for you, you should just buy those two games, and that would make total sense.”
It is worth noting that besides the access to Xbox’s library of available games, Game Pass also has day one releases where players get to try out new games the day that they launch. Even if that is the case, Spencer says that he wants to make sure that access to Xbox titles are made available for everyone. He continues, “I want you to have the choice. So we remain focused on everything that’s on Game Pass is also available to buy. We’re making those games available to buy in more places.”
PC and Xbox
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+ 2It’s no mystery that the PS5 had quickly outsold the Xbox Series X|S, but Spencer does say that Microsoft continues to succeed on the PC end of their products. “Our biggest areas of growth right now are PC and Cloud, which makes sense, since consoles, all up, are a good business, they’re an established business, but they’re not really a growing segment in gaming,” says Spencer.
Though the Xbox Series X|S was considered to be the technologically superior console by some reviewers, it still didn’t manage to beat the exclusive titles that were available only to PlayStation. That being said, Sony has been criticized for not releasing any must have exclusives at a rate that would be expected of them. I mean, they can only keep releasing The Last of Us so many times.
Console Wars Aftermath
click to enlarge + 2For now, it does seem like Xbox is now fully embracing non-exclusivity and is open to releasing their games on several platforms. Albeit, they do release on the Xbox first and hold off for several months to a year before they come to other platforms—just like what they did with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
As for Game Pass holders, it is definitely worth it to play as many games as you can with a subscription, but for busy people who can only afford to play a few hours a week, maybe it is more economical to just purchase a game and play it on your own time without having to constantly renew anything.
Xbox did put up a good fight nabbing several studios like Bethesda and Blizzard, but it’s ultimately better for consumers if they just made games available on as many platforms as possible.
Who knows, maybe Microsoft has some secret trick up their sleeves we don’t know about yet. In the meantime, Xbox Game Pass is available in select countries.