While Microsoft’s recent acquisition of popular developer Bethesda Softworks and its parent company ZeniMax Media made the headlines, the Xbox developers also teased some potential news about its future plans for services like Xbox Game Pass. Although Xbox head Phil Spencer did not comment further on what Microsoft had up its sleeve, information from Microsoft’s latest press release indicates that Xbox Game Pass, which is seeing a new surge in popularity, will play a massive role in Xbox players’ futures.
Microsoft’s latest announcement explained that the company acquired ZeniMax as part of a transition from a “device-centric” to a “player-centric” approach, in order to give it an advantage in the cloud-based subscription service race. As the press release ran through some future plans for Bethesda’s titles, Microsoft also revealed that Xbox Game Pass experienced explosive growth after its last major milestone in April, when it officially had a user base of 10 million subscribers. Microsoft noted that Xbox Game Pass has gained 5 million subscribers since then, with a new grand total of 15 million subscribers.
With these figures, Xbox Game Pass has seen a 50% increase in players. While this growth may initially seem unprecedented, Microsoft’s continued promotion of the Xbox service’s appeal has likely brought in waves of interested players. After partnering up with EA Play to bring the publisher’s latest titles over to Xbox and acquiring other renowned developers (such as Obsidian and Rare) for its platform, Microsoft is creating a tempting lineup for gamers.
Furthermore, by making the Xbox Game Pass an integral part of its upcoming digital Series S console, Microsoft will likely drive even more users to the platform by November. By offering a cost-effective console and pairing it with the Game Pass’s low monthly fees, it appears that the company is hoping this winning combination will draw in gamers who are intimidated by the Xbox Series X’s larger price tag.
Moreover, players will likely find even more value in a healthy backlog of past games to accompany any first party titles, which is where the ZeniMax acquisition comes back into play. After praising Bethesda’s commitment to Xbox Game Pass from its first days in 2017, the gaming titan announced that all of Bethesda’s games would be available on the subscription service.
Now, with Bethesda’s massive library of best selling series, like the Fallout franchise and the Doom series, Microsoft’s offerings are stronger than ever. Moreover, since future Bethesda games will likely debut on Xbox Game Pass, it gives fans a reason to hold onto their subscriptions. Although this news might encourage another massive spike in demand for Xbox Game Pass, fans will have to wait until the next generation Xbox’s rival, the PlayStation 5, arrives on the scene to see whether timed exclusives or a larger library of existing games will do better with players.
Source: Microsoft, Phil Spencer
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