The Asian market has historically been the weakest area for Xbox. Fortunately, that historic trend seems to be turning around, with the company making huge gains in the territory since the current console generation started in 2020. While some of this has been put down to supply issues of competitor Sony's PS5, Microsoft still deserves credit for the extra efforts towards trying to win fans in what is traditionally its weakest market. Those efforts were certainly apparent during Tokyo Game Show 2022. Some of the most exciting Xbox news coming from the event was about games coming to the already impressive Xbox Game Pass library.
One reason for Xbox's shortcomings in Japan and the rest of Asia is the relative lack of games from Japanese studios on the platform. That's one issue that Xbox Game Pass seems to be addressing, with a huge wave of Japanese-developed titles headed to the service, including some big-name JRPGs. Renowned Japanese studios like Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja, and Sega's Atlus will see their games coming to the service. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer also doubled down on other selling points of the service, such as Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda projects launching as day one Game Pass titles.
New Xbox Game Pass Titles Added After the Show
For those who were already waiting for new titles to make their way onto Xbox Game Pass, a whole bevy of games were added to the service on September 15, the day of the Xbox Showcase. The biggest new addition was Assassin's Creed Odyssey. The second installment of Ubisoft's new formula of Assassin's Creed games takes players to Ancient Greece, with the famous myths and legends everyone knows from the era featured.
Also added on the same day was the visual novel game Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition from Japanese studio Spike Chunsoft. Danganronpa V3 follows a group of high schoolers trapped in a murder-mystery game, featuring puzzles and trials. It's that wild cast of characters that has made the game popular with such a loyal fanbase.
Action JRPG Fuga: Melodies of Steel made its way to Xbox Game Pass on September 15 too. The mech-tank turn-based combat and cute animal characters are the main draws of the game. A wide range of tactical options are available each turn, for players who may not enjoy the usual turn-based formula. Another JRPG added was Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. The game follows young protagonist Oliver and his fairy companion Drippy as they set out to save Oliver's mother. The Ni no Kuni series is famed for its beautiful cutscenes made by Studio Ghibli, with an original soundtrack from long-time Ghibli collaborator Joe Hisaishi.
Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass
First-person action-shooter Deathloop is coming to Xbox Game Pass on September 20. Developed by Arkane Studios, creators of Dishonored, Deathloop takes place during a time loop, during which the player must assassinate eight targets before the loop resets. Deathloop's most popular mechanic was the multiplayer element, allowing a random player to enter the world to try and thwart the player's current run.
JRPG Persona 5 Royal will be coming to Xbox Game Pass on October 21, having been a PlayStation exclusive since its release. The game is a remaster of Persona 5, which is itself part of the wider Megami Tensei franchise. Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden were also confirmed as coming to Xbox Game Pass at a later unconfirmed date.
Further on the horizon, Guilty Gear Strive comes to Xbox Game Pass in spring 2023. From Japanese studio Arc System Works, the critically acclaimed 2D fighting game features a story mode and a massively popular online component for players to duke it out against opponents from across the world. Also coming in spring 2023 is a second game from Arc System Works, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Special Edition. Another fighting game, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Special Edition stars an ensemble roster of 2D fighting game characters. It features characters from Persona 4 Arena, Arcana Heart, Senran Kagura, and Akatsuki Blitzkampf. The edition coming to Game Pass includes all the game's DLC.
Games in Development for Xbox Game Pass
Early in 2023, Soulslike action game Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will launch day one on Xbox Game Pass. Wo Long comes from Koei Tecmo studio Team Ninja, developers of the Nioh franchise. It is also produced by Bloodborne producer Masaaki Yamagiwa, so there are already promising things about the game for fans of the genre.
Finally, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes launches day one on Xbox Game Pass at an unconfirmed date in 2023. The new IP released its first game Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising in 2020 following an unexpectedly huge Kickstarter funding campaign. The series is considered a spiritual successor to the Suikoden franchise from Konami. All in all, Tokyo Game Show was clearly a heavy hitter for Xbox Game Pass, shoring up both its present and future.