Xbox Game Pass has always been seen as an affordable option to gain access to a significant library of great games. In the past month, that library has grown with the addition of many Bethesda games and EA Play's expansion to PC. But Xbox continues to grow its relationship with certain publishers to expand their Xbox Game Pass presence. Square Enix is one example. This week Square Enix is adding Octopath Traveler to Xbox Game Pass, but that may just be the start of its plans.
A new report indicates that Square Enix will follow up the addition of Octopath Traveler to Xbox Game Pass by bringing several more games to the service. IGN Korea says that it has learned Square Enix will be releasing six more games in addition to Octopath Traveler on Xbox Game Pass. This follows an agreement between Square Enix and Microsoft with undisclosed details regarding the cost of the deal.
A list of the six games from Square Enix coming to Xbox Game Pass hasn't been disclosed, either. Octopath Traveler is nearly three years old at this point, though it is only just being released on Xbox today. That could imply that the other six games will be coming to Xbox for the first time, as well, and launching into Xbox Game Pass as part of that. Square Enix's biggest three upcoming multi-platform games, Babylon's Fall, Final Fantasy 16, and Forspoken, for example, are not announced for Xbox yet.
The deal could also be for other Square Enix titles that are already available or will be coming to Xbox One. Balan Wonderworld, which launches tomorrow, and Romancing SaGa 3, which launched on Xbox One in late 2019, are two of the most recent examples that are not already available on Xbox One. Suffice to say, there are a lot of Square Enix titles console exclusive to either PlayStation or Nintendo platforms from over the past 10 years.
As such, perhaps the bigger takeaway from this story isn't that Microsoft will be bringing six more Square Enix games to Xbox Game Pass. Instead, it's that Microsoft is expanding its relationship with Square Enix in a significant way.
The report about Square Enix's plan to bring six games to Xbox Game Pass adds that an official announcement should be forthcoming in "a matter of time." That could be weeks, months, or even years depending on which games are part of the agreement. Nevertheless, Xbox gamers who are also fans of Square Enix have good reason to be hopeful, and even more reason to pick up Xbox Game Pass.