Over the last few years, few features have been as crucial to the Xbox brand as Game Pass. Providing countless acclaimed games for one fixed monthly cost, the service has become a significant focus for Microsoft, allowing the publisher to push some of its riskiest titles to much bigger audiences than before thanks to its low price tag.
According to a new interview with The Guardian, it seems fans have Game Pass to thank for some of their favorite releases this year, with head of Xbox Phil Spencer revealing the company decided to greenlight several recent projects purely because of the service. Microsoft Flight Simulator was one of the names mentioned by Spencer as specifically being funded thanks to Game Pass’ unique ability to draw big audiences to niche concepts.
“Microsoft Flight Simulator is a game we would not have green-lit if we did not see Game Pass growing,” Spencer claims in the interview, revealing that it was one of many games he saw potential in due to the service’s model. He also mentions the episodic story-focused game Tell Me Why, claiming that the team believed it would entice more players if it didn’t have a $30 admission fee attached. Apparently, even Battletoads was a product of Game Pass’ meteoric rise, with Spencer highlighting the fact that the game managed to secure over a million players.
It seems the subscription service’s unique ability to let players trial games outside of their comfort zone has created an experimental environment at Xbox, with Spencer giving the green light to titles he likely wouldn’t have risked developing prior. As he puts it, all the aforementioned games “would be more challenged” in an “exclusively retail model.” With Microsoft Flight Simulator becoming something of a viral hit this year and Battletoads amassing a wide playerbase, it’s clear Game Pass is having an effect on some of Microsoft’s biggest games.
Although a release date hasn’t been announced, Microsoft Flight Simulator is currently slated to come to Xbox One at some point in the future. Meanwhile, Tell Me Why released back in late August, with the studio behind the game, Dontnod, releasing the similarly narrative-focused Twin Mirror in December. Battletoads, on the other hand, released a few months ago and scored its one-million player milestone late last month. As Spencer highlights, it seems all three games are intrinsically tied to Xbox Game Pass, which has ensured they garnered a bigger audience in spite of their unconventional genres.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is out now on PC, with Xbox One and Xbox Series X versions in development.
Source: The Guardian
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