With the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 scheduled for release later this year, it seems like as good a time as ever to look back at the greatest innovations of the outgoing generation of gaming. While gamers will debate who "won" the generation in terms of new releases and features, one thing is clear: in a new age of streaming and games as a service, Xbox Game Pass changed the game.
Xbox Game Pass was announced in early 2017 and released in June of that year as a response to Sony's PlayStation Now. For $9.99 a month, subscribers could access a catalog of hundreds of games from the Xbox One library and earlier consoles. Unlike PS Now, then a streaming-only service, these games were downloaded directly to the console, eliminating the bandwidth and connectivity issues that come with streaming. Users also have the option to purchase Game Pass titles at a discount should they decide to add a game to their permanent collection.
Since releasing, Game Pass has seen major expansions. In 2018, Microsoft announced that all first-party Xbox exclusive games moving forward would be added to Game Pass on the same day as their retail release, meaning that new games from major franchises like Halo and Gears of War, normally $60 each, would be instantly accessible to subscribers. Last year saw Game Pass expand to Windows 10 with its own library of first and third-party games and a new subscription plan, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Ultimate combines Game Pass for Xbox and PC with Xbox Live Gold, Microsoft’s online gaming service.
Microsoft has already committed to supporting Game Pass on Xbox Series X, saying that the program is “not an experiment,” rather a service that will continue into the future. Microsoft has worked hard to convince developers that their games will benefit from Game Pass, resulting in a strong library to choose from. The catalog is easy to navigate with an interface that makes it clear which games are new, which games are leaving, and which games are popular or appropriate for families. The library is carefully curated, alleviating developer’s fears that their games will be lost in the deluge of a large library and creating a system that benefits both developers and the gamer they hope to reach.
The greatest victory of Game Pass is its ability to expose gamers to games or genres they may not have tried otherwise. Subscribers have instant access to hundreds of titles from AAA titles like Grand Theft Auto V and The Outer Worlds to indie games like The Escapists 2 and My Friend Pedro. Even more bizarre, meme-able titles like Goat Simulator and last year’s breakout hit Untitled Goose Game have a home on Game Pass, allowing players who may not have otherwise bought a game try them out and see what the hype is about. When the only charge is the subscription itself, the risk of being stuck with a game you don’t like is eliminated.
The success of Game Pass has left competitors in the position of responding to Microsoft’s offering. Sony’s PS Now, which had already been around for three years before Game Pass, has had to adjust its service in order to properly compete. In addition to adding downloads for some games, Sony reduced prices for the service from $19.99 to $9.99 in October, matching the monthly charge for Game Pass.
While PS Now has a larger library, Sony has focused on older games like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption but seems reluctant to include new first-party games like Microsoft has. In the post announcing the price drop, Sony also revealed that 2018’s God of War and other Sony published games would be added to PS Now, albeit for a limited time ending January 2, 2020.
Nintendo, ever on top of innovation but often behind on industry trends, does not seem interested in a similar program. While they now require a subscription for online play with some games included in the service, Nintendo Switch Online lacks features like a fully integrated voice chat system and messaging, and the only games included are NES and SNES titles. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has expressed some interest in cloud gaming but sees it as a distant future. While the Nintendo Switch does have Assassin’s Creed Odyssey available to stream in Japan, given these comments and Nintendo’s track record, it seems that a Game Pass competitor is unlikely to come anytime soon.
With its well designed and easy to navigate interface, great selection of games, and updates from Microsoft, Game Pass has been a success story that will continue into the next generation. While the term “games as a service” tends to be associated with nefarious monetization practices, Game Pass proves that a subscription-based system can benefit consumers when done well.
Game Pass’s influence on the industry is already clear from the number of competitors vying to replicate its success in their own ways. With Google Stadia and Apple Arcade releasing last year and Amazon planning a service of their own, it seems like the latest battle in the new console wars will be fought on streaming.