A little while ago we reported on Independent games stores showing anger over the recent Xbox Game Pass 1st party games changes. Many of these retailers announced they would no longer stock Xbox games or product, saying the changes to Game Pass would kill their game sale business.
Microsoft has since responded to this backlash, mentioning that Game Pass has “been embraced” by other retailers, and the independent game retailers are “in the minority” (via GamesIndustry.biz.)
A Microsoft spokesperson tells the website, “The response to the news thus far has been positive…As we noted in our announcement, our plan is to offer ways for select retailers to assort and promote Game Pass.” The Spokesperson also went on to mention that orders for Xbox games are “not dwindling,” but gamers instead show “strong interest” in Game Pass and Sea of Thieves:
“In fact, we’ve been pleasantly surprised with the breadth of demand from retailers so far, and we’re considering if and how we broaden our distribution plans. We welcome feedback on our plans, and will continue to evolve our plans as appropriate…We have a long history partnering with independent stores around the world, and continue to believe they play a unique and valuable part in the ecosystem,” the spokesperson concluded.”
In a way, it is great to see that Microsoft is standing behind Xbox Game Pass. The service offers true value and tries to be fair to games stores by rotating titles in and out of the Game Pass catalog each month. It also lacks titles such as Forza and Minecraft, which many gamers will still need to turn to games stores to purchase.
