As what Xbox Game Pass already lays out for its users that pay a monthly subscription for the service offers an extended library of titles for players to enjoy including limited-time promotions and day one releases from Xbox Game Studios as well. However, there are other incentives that evolved from the service as well. In one report, it was discovered that the service practically provides funding for smaller teams to work on respected titles as we saw with Studio Zevere in the past.
More recently, Xbox Game Pass has proven to be a shoe-in for new IPs and franchises entering the market or simply the platform its available on. From Ampere Analysis, analyst Piers Harding-Rolls framed Xbox Game Pass to be a “risk-adverse” approach in terms of early performance for a new game. Additionally, Square Enix applauded the service for similar results for Outriders with the game’s outcome exceeding expectations for the publisher.
In a recent interview on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Xbox head Phil Spencer explains that Xbox Game Pass could even signify which titles could find full blown reboots based on player interactivity now.
Absolutely it does. Take Prey, which I think was an amazing game when it came out but a lot of people missed Prey. […] Seeing more people playing something like Prey, or Dishonored or going back to Fable and you can talk about those games, for us as we sit back as a creative organization and watch what people are interested in, it gives us more data to think about things that we might pick up and take forward with new ideas and new teams that might want to go do that.
So yeah, Game Pass has definitely been a great source. It was amazing when Bethesda came in and we were able to put so many of the “old new” games or “new old” games, however you want to say it, into Game Pass and going back with the legacy that we have with some of the IP. Even thinking about Rare Replay was a really interesting thing for us to go do and letting people go and experience some of the old Rare IP.
In the same discussion, Spencer also elaborated on his concern for the future of game preservation. Acknowledging Xbox’s front and center dedication to delivering four generations of gaming, Spencer explains his distress regarding how little other platform holders are offering a similar incentive as of now.
Elsewhere during the interview, Spencer also furthered his statement regarding virtual reality on Xbox. While he doubles-down on no support for the peripheral on the platform, Spencer does urge that Oculus is the preferred platform if searching to play virtual reality on. You can read the full report by heading here.
What Xbox Game Pass titles are you hoping to see be rebooted first?
