On December 1, Xbox Game Pass added three new games—Totally Reliable Delivery Service, The Walking Dead: The Final Season, and Eastward—and announced five more games to join the list of Xbox Game Pass games in December 2022. Today, however, just one day after, one of those games has been delayed.
It's not that Xbox Game Pass releases haven't been delayed before, as sometimes the game is delayed ahead of its day-one release or something is shifting behind the scenes, but it is an unusual scenario nonetheless. The game was announced and then delayed within the span of 24 hours or so, making it seem like the announcement was a mistake or something. Either way, it's still coming to the service in all likelihood; it's just not clear as to when.
Hot Wheels Unleashed – Game of the Year Edition was one of this month's upcoming additions announced on December 1, alongside LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Metal: Hellsinger, Potion Craft, and Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan. It was supposed to be added to console, cloud, and PC Game Pass platforms, but now it has been delayed. All that was said came in the form of an update to the official announcement: "Hot Wheels Unleashed – Game of the Year Edition is no longer coming on Dec 15, 2022 as previously announced. We will update with a new date when we have more information to share."
What's not clear is how long Hot Wheels Unleashed: Game of the Year Edition has been delayed. If it were coming in the second half of December 2022, as part of the second wave of Xbox Game Pass additions, the companies involved may have just announced the new date immediately. However, the fact that neither have doesn't eliminate this possibility. At the same time, it becoming an Xbox Game Pass game for January 2023 or beyond is not unreasonable either. Previous delays have taken on the forms of months, though again, not usually the day after it was announced.
Even with Hot Wheels Unleashed, there is still plenty to check out on Xbox Game Pass. Not only are there new additions fans may want to play, but 11 games are leaving Xbox Game Pass on December 15, 2022. Fans may want to check those out before they leave (list available via the previous link).
Xbox Game Pass subscribers get a handful of games every month.
Source: Xbox Wire