Earlier today, Microsoft made a major announcement concerning their Xbox Game Pass service; the service will no longer be an Xbox-exclusive service and will soon be coming to PC. The announcement lays out three steps Microsoft plans on taking as they bring Xbox Game Pass to PC. Although a release date isn’t given, they did announce that more information will be made public at E3.
Xbox Game Pass is Coming to PC
“We believe the player should be at the centre of their gaming experience and be able to harness the unique benefits of the devices they choose to play on,” says Microsoft; “Nowhere is that belief more important than on the PC. As the creators of Windows, we have a unique responsibility to ensure we’re investing in experiences that benefit players everywhere, while respecting the PC community’s preference for an open, highly customisable platform.”
Xbox Game Pass was first launched on Xbox around two years ago, and has since grown to be both a large and popular service. It allows Xbox players to play a wide library of games for free in exchange for a monthly subscription. Indeed, many Xbox-exclusive games became available on Game Pass immediately upon release, including Sea of Thieves, Crackdown 3, and State of Decay 2.
While the PC version of Xbox Game Pass has the same name, it isn’t exactly the same service. According to Microsoft, it has been designed specifically for PC. It will; “give players unlimited access to a curated library of over 100 high-quality PC games on Windows 10, from well-known PC game developers and publishers such as Bethesda, Deep Silver, Devolver Digital, Paradox Interactive, SEGA, and more.” Additionally, new games coming from Xbox Game Studios will continue to be available on the service on day one of release. More than 75 developers and publishers are currently working with Microsoft to put content in the service library. Subscribers will get extra benefits too, including discounts in Windows’ Microsoft Store.
Xbox Game Pass for PC Doesn’t Mean Game Exclusivity
According to Microsoft, they are prioritising PC – Xbox cross-play and making their games available to as many people as possible. As such, the introduction of Xbox Game Pass for PC won’t mean Xbox Game Studios games being held as exclusives; those games will still come to Steam. In fact, more than 20 Xbox Game Studios games will be releasing on both the Microsoft Store and Steam later this year. “Our intent is to make our Xbox Game Studios PC games available in multiple stores,” explains Microsoft; “including our own Microsoft Store on Windows, at their launch. We believe you should have choice in where you buy your PC games.” Furthermore, new Xbox Game Studios titles will all feature cross-play between PC and Xbox.
More information about the upcoming Xbox Game Pass PC expansion will reportedly be made public at E3. Fans should tune in to the Xbox E3 2019 Briefing, which will take place on the 9th of June.