Game Services thread, v2: Ubisoft headline portends a darker gaming future

[rob mafia]

The Turbo Graphix 16/ PC Engine came out 4 years before the SNES.

not outside japan.

 

[Prefect]

not outside japan.

ok. So you are conceding that the system came out during the NES era.

 

[rob mafia]

ok. So you are conceding that the system came out during the NES era.

...sure, if your argument is now limited to those in japan. seems to be a pretty stupid argument, but if it's what you want, by all means. have it.

fwiw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_(fourth_generation)

 

[rikwebb]

Coming soon to Gamepass https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/09/01/coming-soon-xbox-game-pass-september-2021/

Craftopia (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – September 2
You arrive on a small island packed with animals, resources, and infinite possibilities. What you do in this game is completely up to you – gather resources, harvest crops, fight bosses, capturing enemies, building a lovely house, unlocking new islands, exploring the world, and more! What will you do when you can do anything you've ever dreamt of?

Final Fantasy XIII (Console and PC) – September 2
Final Fantasy XIII is a fantasy RPG in which a band of brave humans struggle against fate in the utopian sky city of Cocoon and the primeval world of Pulse. Follow stylish heroine Lightning's fast paced battles and high adventure in a mysterious new world.

Signs of the Sojourner (Cloud, Console, and PC) – September 2
A narrative card game about connecting with people. Your deck is your character, reflecting your experiences, and shaping your relationships. Travel to diverse locations to acquire goods for your shop. Along the way, you'll encounter optimistic stories, compassionate characters, and delightful surprises in a world where climate change has made life hard.

Surgeon Simulator 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – September 2
Bob's life is in your hand! Scrub-in solo or with up to three friends in this physics-based sim and unearth the mysteries of the Bossa Labs Medical Facility, explore hundreds of community-made levels, and even create your own using the sandbox level building tool. Or, if you prefer, spend your time replacing all of Bob's limbs with heads – that also works.

Crown Trick (Console and PC) ID@Xbox – September 7
Welcome to The Nightmare Realm! Guide protagonist Elle on a perilous journey through procedurally generated dungeons, carefully navigating unique enemies and traps that only move when Elle does thanks to Crown Trick's unique synchronous turn-based mechanic. Strategically plan each move to survive, master a combination of skills, Familiars, and weapons to escape the labyrinth.

Breathedge (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – September 9
Inspired by Retrofuturism, Soviet aesthetics, and dark comedy movies, Breathedge is a fresh take on the survival genre that puts you in control of a simple guy called the Man who is carrying his grandpa's ashes to a galactic funeral and suddenly finds himself in the middle of a universal conspiracy.

Nuclear Throne (Console and PC) ID@Xbox – September 9
Nuclear Throne is a post-apocalyptic roguelike-like top-down shooter. Fight your way through the wastelands with powerful weaponry, collecting radiation to mutate some new limbs and abilities. All these things and more you could do if only you were good at this game. Can you reach the Nuclear Throne?

The Artful Escape (Console and PC) ID@Xbox – September 9
A teenage guitar prodigy sets out on a psychedelic, multidimensional journey to inspire his stage persona and confront the legacy of a dead folk legend. Starring voice performances by Michael Johnston, Caroline Kinley, Lena Headey, Jason Schwartzman, Mark Strong, and Carl Weathers.

 

[method115]

Tried to get into FF13 at one point but I just couldn't. Might give it another shot on GP.

 

[Madmick]

Tried to get into FF13 at one point but I just couldn't. Might give it another shot on GP.

Have you tried Slay the Spire?

I can't believe I'm this addicted to a goddamn phone game, but it's a fantastic casual card game ($10 on Android/iOS, $25 on Playstation/Xbox/PC when not discounted). It's from 2017, and it's on Game Pass. Highly recommend. It's great decompression after competitive MP.

 

[method115]

Have you tried Slay the Spire?

I can't believe I'm this addicted to a goddamn phone game, but it's a fantastic casual card game ($10 on Android/iOS, $25 on Playstation/Xbox/PC when not discounted). It's from 2017, and it's on Game Pass. Highly recommend. It's great decompression after competitive MP.

Doesn't look like my type of game. I've said that before though and I've been wrong. Might as well give it a shot.

 

[jefferz]

Doesn't look like my type of game. I've said that before though and I've been wrong. Might as well give it a shot.

Card games aren't my thing either but I found Slay the Spire to be great.

 

[rikwebb]

Netflix have bought Night School Studio, they developed Oxenfree and are currently working on the sequel to that. Its the first games studio they've purchased so far.

https://nightschoolstudio.com/joining-netflix/

As of today, Night School Studio is joining the Netflix team.

Over the last few months, we've had countless thoughtful chats about our respective visions for where we see games, storytelling, and our collective opportunity for positive impact somewhere in the middle.

Night School wants to stretch our narrative and design aspirations across distinctive, original games with heart. Netflix gives film, TV, and now game makers an unprecedented canvas to create and deliver excellent entertainment to millions of people. Our explorations in narrative gameplay and Netflix's track record of supporting diverse storytellers was such a natural pairing. It felt like both teams came to this conclusion instinctively.

Of course, it's a surreal honor to be the first games studio to join Netflix! Not only do we get to keep doing what we do, how we like to do it, but we get a front-row seat on the biggest entertainment platform in the world. The Netflix team has shown the utmost care for protecting our studio culture and creative vision. We'll keep making OXENFREE II. We'll keep cooking up new game worlds.

For now, there's a kaleidoscope of butterflies in our team's collective stomachs. (Apparently that's what you call a group of butterflies?) Because we truly believe we've got a chance to positively impact the way people discover, play, and share story games with each other.

LET'S GO.

 

[rikwebb]

Xcloud will roll out in Australia, Japan, Brazil and Mexico on October 1st.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/09...aunches-in-australia-brazil-japan-and-mexico/

We are creating a future that combines the gaming heritage of Xbox and the power of Azure. A future where we bring high fidelity, immersive games to more than 3 billion players around the world. We're now taking another step forward to reach that vision: Xbox Cloud Gaming as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is launching in Brazil and Mexico later today, and Australia and Japan on October 1, as announced at Tokyo Game Show.

With the expansion of Xbox Cloud Gaming to gamers in Australia, Brazil, Japan and Mexico, we're now opening the opportunity for over one billion people in 26 countries across five continents to be able to play Xbox Game Pass games from the cloud on their phones, tablets and PCs.

This journey to bring Cloud Gaming to these four new countries has been a true community partnership. As we've tested through our preview program, we have learnt so much from the gamers who participated. Thanks to players in Brazil, who filled our cloud gaming servers even before we announced our Preview launch. And gamers in Mexico who made Gears 5 our most played game in preview. In Australia and Japan, it has been awesome to see the embrace of touch controls with Minecraft Dungeons. We simply wouldn't be here today without this partnership, thank you.

 

[Madmick]

He tested three games. The added latency of the Cloud ranged from 0ms-50ms depending on the game (i.e. 0-3 out of 60 frames). The 0 was for Ori and the Blind Forest. The game suffered zero delay on his phone versus the Nintendo Switch.

Below is the USB-C controller he used to transform his Android phone into a Nintendo Switch-like device that can play any Gaming Cloud title. There are 297 currently. That's a little less than half the size of the Switch's entire library (683 titles). The difference is one can play the xCloud library in its entirety with a mere Game Pass Ultimate subscription, and many of these games are far too demanding for hardware as weak as the Switch, though there is the drawback one requires a WiFi/Cellular connection to play.

There are four different versions of this Razer Kishi. These include different versions for iPhone/Android, but also special versions for each platform intended to support Xbox Gaming Cloud specifically.
Razer Kishi

The Android (Xbox) version runs $63 on Amazon. The iPhone (Xbox) version runs $100 on Amazon-- no discount:
https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Kishi-Controller-Android-Passthrough-Thumbsticks/dp/B086X8DHN2

Spoiler: Current Microsoft Cloud Library: 297 Games

1. A Plague Tale: Innocence
2. Aragami 2
3. ARK: Survival Evolved - Explorer's Edition
4. art of rally
5. Astria Ascending
6. ASTRONEER
7. Atomicrops
8. Banjo-Kazooie
9. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
10. Banjo-Tooie
11. Batman: Arkham Knight
12. Battlefield V: Year Two Edition
13. Battletoads
14. Beholder: Complete Edition
15. Black Desert
16. Bleeding Edge
17. Blinx: The Time Sweeper
18. Bloodroots
19. Boyfriend Dungeon
20. Breathedge
21. Bridge Constructor Portal
22. Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
23. Call of the Sea
24. Carrion
25. Celeste
26. Children of Morta
27. Cities: Skylines
28. ClusterTruck
29. Code Vein
30. Conan Exiles
31. Control
32. Crackdown 3
33. Craftopia (Game Preview)
34. Cricket 19
35. Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
36. Cris Tales
37. Crown Trick
38. Curse of the Dead Gods
39. Cyber Shadow
40. Darkest Dungeon
41. DayZ
42. Dead by Daylight: Special Edition
43. Dead Cells
44. Deep Rock Galactic
45. Descenders
46. Desperados III
47. Destiny 2: Beyond Light
48. Destroy All Humans! (2020)
49. DiRT 5
50. Dishonored 2
51. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
52. Dishonored: Definitive Edition
53. Disneyland Adventures
54. Dodgeball Academia
55. Donut County
56. DOOM (2016)
57. DOOM (Classic)
58. DOOM 3
59. DOOM 64
60. DOOM Eternal
61. DOOM II: Hell on Earth
62. Double Dragon Neon
63. Dragon Age: Inquisition - Game of the Year Edition
64. Dragon Quest Builders 2
65. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
66. Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance
67. Eastshade
68. eFootball PES 2021
69. Elite Dangerous
70. Empire of Sin
71. Enter the Gungeon
72. F1 2019
73. Fable Anniversary
74. Fable II
75. Fable III
76. Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition
77. Fallout 4
78. Fallout 76
79. Fallout: New Vegas - Ultimate Edition
80. Farming Simulator 19
81. Five Nights at Freddy's
82. Five Nights at Freddy's 2
83. Five Nights at Freddy's 3
84. Five Nights at Freddy's 4
85. Flynn: Son of Crimson
86. Football Manager 2021
87. For Honor
88. Forager
89. Forza Horizon 4
90. Frostpunk
91. Fuzion Frenzy
92. Gang Beasts
93. Gears 5: Game of the Year Edition
94. Gears of War 2
95. Gears of War 3
96. Gears of War 4
97. Gears of War: Judgment
98. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
99. Gears Tactics
100. Genesis Noir
101. Goat Simulator
102. Going Under
103. Golf With Your Friends
104. GoNNER2
105. GreedFall
106. Grounded (Game Preview)
107. Guacamelee! 2
108. Hades
109. Halo 3: ODST
110. Halo 5: Guardians
111. Halo Wars 2
112. Halo Wars: Definitive Edition
113. Halo: Spartan Assault
114. Halo: The Master Chief Collection
115. Haven
116. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
117. Hello Neighbor
118. Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition
119. Human: Fall Flat
120. Hypnospace Outlaw
121. I Am Fish
122. Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars
123. Injustice 2
124. Jetpac Refuelled
125. Joy Ride Turbo
126. Jurassic World Evolution
127. Just Cause 4: Reloaded
128. Kameo: Elements of Power
129. Katamari Damacy Reroll
130. Katana Zero
131. Killer Instinct (2013): Definitive Edition
132. Killer Queen Black
133. Last Stop
134. Lethal League Blaze
135. Library of Ruina
136. Limbo
137. Lonely Mountains: Downhill
138. Lost Words: Beyond the Page
139. Lumines: Remastered
140. Madden NFL 20
141. Maneater
142. Marvel’s Avengers
143. Mass Effect: Andromeda - Deluxe Edition
144. Middle-earth: Shadow of War
145. Minecraft Dungeons
146. Mirror's Edge: Catalyst
147. MLB The Show 21
148. Monster Sanctuary
149. Monster Train
150. Moonlighter
151. Mørkredd
152. MotoGP 20
153. Mount & Blade: Warband
154. My Time at Portia
155. Myst (2021)
156. Narita Boy
157. Need for Speed: Heat - Deluxe Edition
158. Neon Abyss
159. Neoverse
160. New Super Lucky's Tale
161. NieR Automata: Become as Gods Edition
162. No Man's Sky
163. Nowhere Prophet
164. Nuclear Throne
165. Octopath Traveler
166. Omno
167. Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
168. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
169. Outlast 2
170. Outriders
171. Overcooked! 2
172. OXENFREE
173. Peggle 2
174. Perfect Dark
175. Perfect Dark Zero
176. PHOGS!
177. Pikuniku
178. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition
179. Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition
180. Planet Coaster
181. Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville - Deluxe Edition
182. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 - Deluxe Edition
183. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
184. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
185. Prey
186. Project Winter
187. Psychonauts
188. Psychonauts 2
189. Quake
190. RAGE
191. RAGE 2
192. Rain on Your Parade
193. Raji: An Ancient Epic
194. Recompile
195. ReCore: Definitive Edition
196. Remnant: From the Ashes
197. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
198. River City Girls
199. Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure
200. Sable
201. ScourgeBringer
202. Sea of Thieves
203. Second Extinction (Game Preview)
204. Secret Neighbor
205. Shadow Warrior 2
206. Signs of the Sojourner
207. Skate 3
208. SkateBird
209. Slay the Spire
210. Slime Rancher
211. Sniper Elite 4
212. SnowRunner
213. Spiritfarer
214. Star Renegades
215. Star Wars Battlefront II: Celebration Edition
216. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
217. Starmancer
218. State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
219. Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones
220. Steep
221. Stellaris
222. Streets of Rage 4
223. Streets of Rogue
224. Subnautica
225. Subnautica: Below Zero
226. Superhot: Mind Control Delete
227. Superliminal
228. Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas
229. Tacoma
230. Tell Me Why
231. Terraria
232. The Artful Escape
233. The Ascent
234. The Bard's Tale ARPG: Remastered and Resnarkled
235. The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut
236. The Bard's Tale Trilogy
237. The Catch: Carp & Coarse Fishing
238. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
239. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
240. The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
241. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
242. The Evil Within
243. The Evil Within 2
244. The Falconeer
245. The Gardens Between
246. The Little Acre
247. The Long Dark
248. The Medium
249. The Outer Worlds
250. The Sims 4: Deluxe Party Edition
251. The Surge 2
252. The Walking Dead: A New Frontier
253. The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series
254. The Walking Dead: Michonne
255. The Walking Dead: Season Two
256. The Wild at Heart
257. theHunter: Call of the Wild
258. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege - Deluxe Edition
259. Torchlight III
260. Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
261. Totally Reliable Delivery Service
262. Touhou Luna Nights
263. Trailmakers
264. Train Sim World 2
265. Tropico 6
266. Twelve Minutes
267. Two Point Hospital
268. Undertale
269. Unravel Two
270. Unruly Heroes
271. Viva Piñata
272. Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
273. Wasteland 2: Director's Cut
274. Wasteland 3
275. Wasteland Remastered
276. We Happy Few
277. What Remains of Edith Finch
278. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
279. Wolfenstein: The New Order
280. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
281. Wolfenstein: Youngblood
282. World War Z
283. Worms Rumble
284. Worms W.M.D
285. Wreckfest
286. Xeno Crisis
287. Yakuza 0
288. Yakuza 3: Remastered
289. Yakuza 4: Remastered
290. Yakuza 5: Remastered
291. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
292. Yakuza Kiwami
293. Yakuza Kiwami 2
294. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
295. Yes, Your Grace
296. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
297. Zombie Army 4: Dead War

 

[Madmick]

I just saw the notification in the Xbox app that Destiny 2 (including all expansions) has arrived on Game Pass for PC. Previously, it was only available to Xbox users*.
*or via xCloud for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, but KB+M isn't an allowable input using the xCloud

 

[method115]

I just saw the notification in the Xbox app that Destiny 2 (including all expansions) has arrived on Game Pass for PC. Previously, it was only available to Xbox users.

Wow awesome. Definitely going to hop on this.

 

[rikwebb]

Next of of games coming to Gamepass soon plus also more games with Touch Controls

Available Today
Into the Pit (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox
Available day one with Xbox Game Pass: A fast-paced retro-FPS roguelite! As a member of a family of lore-hunting mystics, you are summoned to a cursed village, drawn by rumors of a demonic portal. Dark magics have overwhelmed the village, and it's up to you to rescue the survivors, grow your powers, and journey forth into the pit.

Outriders (PC)
Outriders is available today with Xbox Game Pass for PC! Developed by People Can Fly, veterans of the shooter genre, Outriders presents a journey of survival across a savage planet, which can be tackled in both single player and 1-3 player co-op. Learn more about the game here on Xbox Wire.
OUTRIDERS_Standard.jpg

FarSight XR-20 · Oct 19, 2021 at 2:01 PM


Coming Soon
Dragon Ball FighterZ (Cloud and Console) – October 21
Unleash the ultimate power from within in Dragon Ball FighterZ! Experience epic fights, destructible stages, and famous events ripped from the Dragon Ball anime. Create your team from a huge cast of your favorite characters and battle it out in epic 3v3 fights! This is the fighting extravaganza born from what makes the series so loved and famous.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Key Art
FarSight XR-20 · Oct 19, 2021 at 2:01 PM

Echo Generation (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – October 21
Available day one with Xbox Game Pass: Spooky mysteries abound as you lead your ragtag gang to take on monsters and mechs to save your hometown. Unlock unique skills for your party through comic books and prepare for active turn-based battles and boss fights that will keep you on your toes! By the developers of Riverbond, dive into another stunning voxel adventure and face off with the extraterrestrials to find the true meaning of home in Echo Generation.

Everspace 2 (Game Preview) (PC) ID@Xbox – October 21
Everspace 2 is a fast-paced, single-player spaceship shooter featuring meaningful exploration in space and on planets, tons of loot, RPG elements, mining, and crafting. Follow its predecessor's events and experience the continuation of a thoughtful sci-fi story set in a vivid, handcrafted open world full of secrets, puzzles, and perils!

Age of Empires IV (PC) – October 28
Available day one with Xbox Game Pass: One of the most beloved real-time strategy games returns to glory with Age of Empires IV, putting you at the center of epic historical battles that shaped the world. Featuring both familiar and innovative new ways to expand your empire in vast landscapes with stunning 4K visual fidelity, Age of Empires IV brings an evolved real-time strategy game to a new generation.
Age of Empires IV Key Art
FarSight XR-20 · Oct 19, 2021 at 2:01 PM

Alan Wake's American Nightmare (Console and PC) – October 28
In this standalone experience, Alan Wake fights the herald of darkness, the evil Mr. Scratch! A thrilling storyline, hordes of creepy enemies, serious firepower, and beautiful Arizona locations, combined with a fun and challenging new game mode make this a must for Alan Wake veterans, and the perfect jumping off point for new players!

Backbone (Console) ID@Xbox – October 28
Raccoon detective Howard Lotor is not a hero. He can barely make rent. And yet he has stumbled across something so massive that it will shake the very fabric of society. Stunning visuals, an evocative soundtrack, and a daring narrative bring a dystopian Vancouver, BC inhabited by animals to life in this highly anticipated, post-noir adventure. Get to it, detective.

Bassmaster Fishing 2022 (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – October 28
Available on day one with Xbox Game Pass: Experience the thrill of competitive bass fishing in Bassmaster Fishing 2022! Compete as 10 Elite Series anglers, such as cover star Scott Martin, back-to-back Bassmaster Classic Champion Hank Cherry, or create your own angler to achieve angling immortality by winning the coveted Bassmaster Classic.

Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 28
A nihilistic action platformer roguelike. Obscure in both gameplay and theme, Nongunz is a riddle that demands sacrifice. Each run sees you parting from a black and white graveyard into an ever-changing gothic dungeon full of nightmares fleshed out of human viscera. Surviving not only requires skill but style.

The Forgotten City (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 28
Travel 2,000 years into the past and relive the final days of a cursed Roman city, where if one person sins, everyone dies. Only by questioning an intertwined community of colorful characters, cleverly exploiting the time loop, and making difficult moral choices can you hope to solve this epic mystery.

DLC / Game Updates
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 8 – Available now
Season 8 has arrived as the latest free update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection! Enjoy 100 tiers of new seasonal unlocks and content like new Mythic armor sets for Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, a new Halo 3 map, Custom Game Browser support for Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3, PC File Share and much more! Learn more at Halo Waypoint.

Grounded: Hot and Hazy Update – October 20
Return to Grounded's backyard and experience the Hot and Hazy update! Brave the explosive perils of the newly revamped Haze biome and survive the sizzling heat of the Sandbox. With new weapon and character systems, and new "friends," find out why this is Grounded's largest Game Preview update to date!

Minecraft: The Spooky Gourdian – Available until November 2
It's time to don your spookiest apparel! Until November 2, grab your free Character Creator Set, the Spooky Gourdian! Match across the games with this epic tier set also available in Minecraft Dungeons. Are you ready for Fright Night?

Minecraft Dungeons: The Spookier Fall Event – Available until November 2
Prepare yourself! The Spookier Fall event descends on Minecraft Dungeons to haunt your holiday! From October 13 to November 2, gather your most fearless friends and partake in a spine-chilling (mis)adventure, featuring heart-pounding seasonal trials, accursed rewards, and monstrous mobs waiting to scare the creeper out of you. Are you brave enough?

Play 100+ Great Games with Custom Xbox Touch Controls

Ultimate members can now play 100+ games with Xbox touch controls, including fan favorites such as Scarlet Nexus, Hades, and Psychonauts 2, plus 13 more available starting today! Check out the full collection of touch-enabled games here and start playing from the Xbox app for Windows PCs, Xbox Game Pass mobile app on Android devices, or xbox.com/play on your Windows PC and Apple phones & tablets, no controller needed. Check out the list of new games with touch controls available today:

• Art of Rally
• Boyfriend Dungeon
• Crown Trick
• Curse of the Dead Gods
• Gears Tactics
• Lethal League Blaze
• Signs of the Sojourner
• The Ascent
• Train Sim World 2
• Yakuza 0
• Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
• Yakuza Kiwami
• Yakuza Kiwami 2

Also games leaving the service on October 31st

• Carto (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Celeste (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Comanche (PC)
• Eastshade (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Five Nights at Freddy's (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Knights & Bikes (Console and PC)
• Unruly Heroes (Cloud, Console, and PC)

 

[Madmick]

Xbox Game Pass Subscriber Growth Slowed Down This Year
Xbox Game Pass subscriptions are up, but they could be more up.

In a new financial statement, Microsoft revealed that Xbox Game Pass subscriptions rose by 37.5% falling short of its internal target of 47.8%. In contrast, last year Microsoft over-performed on its targets to grow Xbox Game Pass, increasing subscriptions by nearly 86% over a goal of 71%.

What this means is that Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscriptions have slowed this past year, and it’s likely a combination of factors. One of the key promises of Xbox Game Pass is that first-party titles will be available on the service day and date. So far in 2021, first-party titles have been relegated mostly to Age of Empires remasters, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and Psychonauts 2.

New first-party titles like Age of Empires 4 and Halo Infinite are still months away and will deliver on Game Pass’ promise of major first-party day and date releases.

I think the lack of supply of the new Xboxes is undoubtedly also contributing to this deceleration, but I think IGN is right, and the first party releases are the primary point of increased sales, so the lack of major releases so far this year is the cause of stagnation. After all, despite whatever is going on with hardware supply, there was a slight spike in XSX/XSS sales following the E3 presentation earlier this year. I expect another spike when Halo: Infinite drops, since that's been the most successful franchise in Xbox history.

Nevertheless, the total subscribers has apparently passed 30 million. That represents a 51.5% subscription rate relative to all XSX/XSS & Xbox One sales. Meanwhile, PS Plus has 47.6m subscribers, having lost subscribers for the first time in history in the most recent quarter. That represents a 36.8% subscription rate relative to all PS5 and PS4 sales.

The difference in strategies has never been as stark. Sony is focused on hardware sales, where its global lead continues to mature at a 3:2 sales advantage, and fees on individual game sales, where Xbox has zero presence in the top charts, while the Nintendo Switch dominates, with PS4 game sales as its only serious competition. Microsoft is focused on maximizing engagement of its base (and Windows PC gamers) with Game Pass.

 

[rikwebb]

Xbox Game Pass Subscriber Growth Slowed Down This Year
Xbox Game Pass subscriptions are up, but they could be more up.

I think the lack of supply of the new Xboxes is undoubtedly also contributing to this deceleration, but I think IGN is right, and the first party releases are the primary point of increased sales, so the lack of major releases so far this year is the cause of stagnation. After all, despite whatever is going on with hardware supply, there was a slight spike in XSX/XSS sales following the E3 presentation earlier this year. I expect another spike when Halo: Infinite drops, since that's been the most successful franchise in Xbox history.

Nevertheless, the total subscribers has apparently passed 30 million. That represents a 51.5% subscription rate relative to all XSX/XSS & Xbox One sales. Meanwhile, PS Plus has 47.6m subscribers, having lost subscribers for the first time in history in the most recent quarter. That represents a 36.8% subscription rate relative to all PS5 and PS4 sales.

The difference in strategies has never been as stark. Sony is focused on hardware sales, where its global lead continues to mature at a 3:2 sales advantage, and fees on individual game sales, where Xbox has zero presence in the top charts, while the Nintendo Switch dominates, with PS4 game sales as its only serious competition. Microsoft is focused on maximizing engagement of its base (and Windows PC gamers) with Game Pass.

Supposedly that 30m figure was picked out of the air by Zelnick



Speculation at the end of June this year (Microsoft Fiscal Q4) the count was around 21m which pretty much lines up with the 37% increase if the number from FY20 was around 15m which was announced in September last year when the announcement of the Zenimax purchase first broke.

https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2021/10/20/xbox-game-pass-missed-annual-growth-targets-by-more-than-20/

The current speculation is that the user count was around 21 million at the end of FY21. After Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick suggested that Game Pass had around 30 million subscribers in a live discussion for The Wrap at the end of September, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer choosing to keep cards close to his chest, this number was quickly countered by Windows Central’s Jez Corden, who said the figure was around 21 million at the end of the previous quarter (June 21), and VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb, who said it was around 20 million.

This adds up. If 15 million subscribers was actually reached at the end of June 2020 and not September, then a 37% growth over the following year would lead to 20.55 million subscribers. This would be an annual growth of around 5-6 million, compared to roughly 7 million for the previous year.

But with Halo Infinite's release i would not be surprised in the slightest if 25m is either very close or passed by the end of the year.

 

[method115]

Supposedly that 30m figure was picked out of the air by Zelnick



Speculation at the end of June this year (Microsoft Fiscal Q4) the count was around 21m which pretty much lines up with the 37% increase if the number from FY20 was around 15m which was announced in September last year when the announcement of the Zenimax purchase first broke.

https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2021/10/20/xbox-game-pass-missed-annual-growth-targets-by-more-than-20/



But with Halo Infinite's release i would not be surprised in the slightest if 25m is either very close or passed by the end of the year.

Yea people were running with that 30mil number but Phil and others at MS have been very careful not to even mention it and stick to the 18 mil number they last released.

I think what MS needs to do is release a yearly discount. Seems like I have to search high and low just to find one. This is going to lead to people buying the service, playing what they want, and canceling. If I could get a year for like $80 I would just pay that. Right now I pay $10, play what I want, then cancel. Wait for more games to build up that I want to try and then sign back up.

Also I can pretty much guarantee their service on PC would see a massive increase if they would get away from that stupid store. Go back to the standard .exe and stop locking down these folders.

 

[Dizzy]

Pretty simple, GamePass needs content. Badly. Doesn’t come as any real surprise.

 

[Madmick]

Pretty simple, GamePass needs content. Badly. Doesn’t come as any real surprise.

To accelerate growth, perhaps, since it isn't expanding quite as explosively as it was previously, but do you apply the same urgency to PS Plus since its membership is actually declining?

 

[Dizzy]

To accelerate growth, perhaps, since it isn't expanding quite as explosively as it was previously, but do you apply the same urgency to PS Plus since its membership is actually declining?

Sony isn’t hanging it’s entire future on it so no lol.