Xbox Game Pass has shaped up to be one of the most impressive services currently offered by Microsoft, with the monthly subscription potentially shaping the future of the Xbox franchise and the launch of the highly anticipated Xbox Series X. Originally launched in beta in 2017, Xbox Game Pass offers a catalog of games to play at varying payment intervals being between monthly and yearly. It could be compared to Netflix to a degree but only in the fact that it follows a monthly subscription and allows players access to the aforementioned catalog of games.
The “Netflix of games” style of service that companies like Sony (with PlayStation Now) and Google (with Stadia) have been trying to crack would imply that such a service would allow games to be streamed remotely and at an instant. But Microsoft has figured out a way to make it work for video games without the trouble of worrying about latency issues and the like. Xbox Game Pass lets users download any of the games available to a disc drive, allowing the players to play games in a title’s native environment - a console (or PC), a controller, and a TV.
Cutting out network lag during gameplay entirely, Xbox Game Pass puts itself in a different category from services like PlayStation Now and Stadia. Its massive advantage of convenience was not the only thing that set it apart though. In 2018, Microsoft announced that all future first-party titles produced by its studios will be debuting on Xbox Game Pass day and date with retailers. This included its big titles, at the time - Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves and also eventually included the likes of Gears 5. It will also include Halo Infinite when that game launched with the Xbox Series X in the holiday season later this year.
With all of these facts in mind, one is bound to wonder just how Microsoft is able to possibly run Game Pass at a profit, yet it has over and over again. Microsoft launched the Xbox One in 2013 through a staggering amount of negative press preceding its launch yet still managed to turn the console into a relative success. Still, it had to play catch-up with Sony which put out the PS4 in the same month and ran away with the competition, to the tune of eventually passing 100 million units sold.
Now that it is entering the new generation on the back foot, Microsoft has to swing big if it hopes to beat Sony out of the gate this year (the PS5 is also confirmed to be releasing during the holiday season this year too). It has to continue to do significant marketing pushes, such as the shocking one dollar monthly subscription campaign for Game Pass it occasionally pulls off. These types of maneuvers stir up the necessary hype and subscribers needed to keep the service alive through to the next generation, which it certainly did here.
With the launch of the Xbox Series X, Microsoft is sure to take this service to the next level. It already has one of the best deals lined up and, ready to launch later this year, a new Xbox and a new Halo. Current Xbox Game Pass subscribers simply have to purchase the Xbox Series X console and they would get the new Halo Infinite as part of the package. Non-subscribers could be enticed to join with a free voucher or discount included with every new Xbox purchase, netting them Halo Infinite as well, though it's unknown whether or not there will be promotions for the launch of the Xbox Series X.
Additionally, Microsoft also does not have to worry about not having enough games at launch, as subscribers would have a playable catalog (not to mention Halo Infinite) at the ready. This is a big advantage for the company, as previous console generations always began with a small content drought. When it comes to making the launch of the Xbox Series X a success, Microsoft has a good start ahead of it.
The Xbox Series X is scheduled to launch holiday 2020.