Microsoft Announces More Titles as Xbox Game Pass Gains Traction

Microsoft Corp. unveiled dozens of new titles for its monthly subscription, Xbox Game Pass, during a dazzling 90-minute presentation replete with game trailers, including several from the major publishers it acquired in recent years.

Xbox Game Pass

The event in Los Angeles on Sunday began and ended with two major games from Bethesda, which Microsoft acquired in 2020: Redfall, a first-person shooter in which players fight vampires, and Starfield, a space-themed role-playing game. Activision Blizzard Inc.’s Overwatch 2, which will enter early access in October with a competitive and open multiplayer mode, and Diablo IV, which will be released in 2023, were also mentioned.

All four games will be available on Xbox Game Pass, which is at the heart of Microsoft’s gaming agenda and the reason it spent $7.5 billion for Bethesda and will pay $69 billion for Activision Blizzard. Users can subscribe to Game Pass for a monthly fee and have unrestricted access to a growing library of hundreds of games. Microsoft has placed a large wager on Game Pass, claiming in January that it has 25 million members paying at least $10 per month.

Rather than competing on hardware with Sony Group Corp., the developer of the PlayStation, and Nintendo Co., Microsoft is attempting to build the Netflix of gaming — and is, by many accounts, close to achieving this goal. Almost every game at the presentation ended with a chyron that said, “Play it day one with Game Pass,” which served as a continual reminder of the company’s approach.

Microsoft Showcase

The Microsoft showcase is an annual ritual that takes place during the E3 trade exhibition, where the top video game publishers meet to show off current and upcoming titles. This year, though, E3 was canceled, and other publishers like Ubisoft and Sony canceled their yearly presentations, leaving Microsoft with the sole slot on Sunday.

Game Pass is also positioned by Microsoft as a service that will benefit games that are otherwise free. Riot Games Inc. announced a partnership with Xbox to allow Game Pass customers access to paid content for its games, including League of Legends and Valorant, at the conference. Anyone who buys a Game Pass subscription will gain free access to all of the games’ heroes, which are generally available separately.

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