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One year ago to the day, Microsoft launched Xbox Game Pass. There have since been many milestones for the subscription-based gaming service along the road, and the company is now looking back at how far things have come. Indeed, in a new blog post, Microsoft says that Xbox Game Pass has left a positive impact on the video games industry.
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Over the past year, Game Pass has expanded to new markets and seen more hit titles added to the catalog. In fact, back in January, Microsoft announced that all new Xbox games from Microsoft Studios would come to Game Pass. This includes both Sea of Thieves and State of Decay 2, which both have proven to be very popular with the Xbox Community.
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In the words of Ashley Speicher, Head of Engineering, Xbox Game Pass:
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“In its first year, Xbox Game Pass has proven to be great for both gamers and game developers as an additive means to drive discovery and engagement of games. The freedom to explore and play more great games is changing gaming habits in incredibly positive ways.”
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Speicher also added that in one year, Xbox Game Pass has also created new opportunities for gamers and developers. She says that the Game Pass service helps drives “discovery and engagement of games” and get gamers to buy other Xbox games outside the catalog. This includes the next major versions of games already in the catalog.
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“Games in Xbox Game Pass have a longer tail of engagement, sustain their community and help developers connect with new audiences than before. What’s more, those same community members often go on to then try the next major release from those franchises thanks to being introduced to new genres and content they may not have otherwise explored, simply by having unlimited access through the Xbox Game Pass catalog.”
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Speicher says that Microsoft is committed to Game Pass, and believes in subscriptions which can benefit gamers and give them more choice. This is great for gamers, but it remains unknown how this will impact the many independent game stores who never liked the service. Anyway, it will be nice to see what the future holds for Game Pass, though our Laurent Giret still believes that the service needs ALL Microsoft Studios titles to succeed.
\n\nFurther reading: Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One