Announced via Xbox Wire today, the new Xbox Game Pass will provide subscribers with over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 backwards compatible games, from publishers like 2K, 505 Games, Focus Home Interactive, and more.
The Xbox Game Pass will cost $9.99 a month, and will be available to Xbox Alpha testers today for free (temporarily) with a small subset of titles to gather feedback.
"With great games from top industry publishers such as 2K, 505 Games, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Focus Home Interactive, SEGA, SNK CORPORATION, THQ Nordic GmbH, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft Studios, there's something for everyone to enjoy and you will always find something exciting to play across a variety of genres. Some of the fan-favorite titles coming to Xbox Game Pass when it launches to the broader Xbox community later this spring include Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16 and SoulCalibur II."
The Xbox Game Pass will provide licenses for over 100 titles in similar fashion to EA Access, giving you access to download those games as if you own them. The titles available as part of the Xbox Game Pass will rotate, however, similarly to Netflix, but it will also provide subscribers with the opportunity to unlock participating games permanently for an exclusive discount. There's no word on how steep this discount will be, but we'll jump on the Alpha ring and bring you the information as soon as we get it. The program looks set to include Windows 10 "Xbox Play Anywhere" titles as well.
The program will roll out more broadly this spring, along with the Xbox One's segment of the Windows 10 Creators Update. Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be given early access to the program before it rolls out to Xbox Live Silver members. As you might've already surmised, this implies that it won't be available as part of the Xbox Live Gold subscription.
The Xbox Game Pass might not appeal to everybody, but it's a potentially exciting option for those who play less frequently and want to spend less on fully-priced games. If you're part of the Xbox Insider Program head to the Xbox Insider Hub to join the preview.
What are your thoughts on the Xbox Game Pass? Let's discuss it in the comments.
