Everyone is getting into the subscription service business these days, and even Microsoft is looking to double dip too.
Today, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox at Microsoft, revealed the Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One which gives subscribers access to over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games for around $10/month. New titles will cycle in and out monthly, and a subscription will also offer discounts for those who want to purchase games and content permanently after they are no longer included. Xbox Game Pass goes live this spring, though some Xbox Insider Program members will be able to test out the program in the very near future.
Thus far, games confirmed will include Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16, SoulCalibur II, Mad Max, Saint’s Row IV, LEGO Batman, Terraria, Fable III and more. There’s no word on if a subscriber will also need Xbox Live Gold to go online with these games, but we assume so.
See the Xbox Game Pass announcement from Phil below or at the Xbox Wire site.
At Xbox, we put gamers at the center of everything we do and remain committed to giving you the freedom to play the games you want, with the friends you want, on the devices you want. This year is shaping up to be an exciting one for gamers. As we prepare to launch Project Scorpio this holiday, bringing the most powerful console ever made to the Xbox One family of devices, we continue to make platform improvements to connect the growing community of players on Xbox Live and add to a robust and diverse portfolio of games across Xbox One and Windows 10.
Today, we?re continuing our commitment to give you more options to diversify and expand your library of games with Xbox Game Pass, a new gaming subscription service coming later this spring. Xbox Game Pass gives you unlimited access to over 100 Xbox One and backward compatible Xbox 360 games ? all for $9.99 per month.
With great games from top industry publishers such as 2K, 505 Games, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Focus Home Interactive, SEGA, SNK CORPORATION, THQ Nordic GmbH, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft Studios, there?s something for everyone to enjoy and you will always find something exciting to play across a variety of genres. Some of the fan-favorite titles coming to Xbox Game Pass when it launches to the broader Xbox community later this spring include Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16 and SoulCalibur II.
One of the best things about Xbox Game Pass is that you can discover and download the full titles directly on your Xbox One. That means continuous, full-fidelity gameplay without having to worry about streaming, bandwidth or connectivity issues. In addition, all Xbox One games in the catalog ? and related add-ons ? will be available to purchase at an exclusive discount for Xbox Game Pass members, so you can make the games you love part of your permanent library to play whenever you want. Every month new games will cycle into the subscription with some cycling out, giving you a constantly-updating library of games. Xbox Game Pass is your ticket to endless play.
It?s important to us that Xbox Game Pass provides an enjoyable and seamless experience. Before the program rolls out to the broader community later this spring, we?ll be testing Xbox Game Pass with select members of the Xbox Insider Program in the Alpha Preview ring starting today with a very limited number of titles. The titles that are available in Preview are just a small glimpse at the expansive catalog of games that will be available when Xbox Game Pass launches this spring. Xbox Live Gold members will also be receiving exclusive access to Xbox Game Pass prior to the program launching to the broader community. We?ll have more details on timing closer to launch.
We hope you enjoy Xbox Game Pass and all that it has to offer. We?re looking forward to hearing the feedback from the gamers in the Xbox Insider Program and then from the rest of the Xbox community when it?s broadly available later this spring. Your feedback will make this program better for all gamers.
Thank you for your continued passion and support of Xbox.
Phil Spencer
Twitter: @XboxP3
GT: P3