Microsoft Says Xbox Game Pass Is Coming To PC Platform
One way to get your fill of gaming on the Xbox One without paying $60 a pop for games is to grab an Xbox Game Pass subscription. It's priced at $9.99 per month (following a free 14-day trial) and offers access to over 100 games, including new Xbox exclusives. It's sort of a Netflix for games, and it's headed to the PC platform.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed the plan to bring Xbox Game Pass to PCs during an earnings call. The vision Microsoft has is to "have a platform that has a community around it and monetize it as well." Porting Xbox Game Pass to PC plays into that goal.
"Xbox has the key gaming community and the monetization capabilities. Whether it's first-party games or third-party games, we are best-in-class in that monetization and that's what's reflected in the results," Nadella said.
"So given that structural position, we are going to make sure that we keep increasing the strength of the community. You see that already with Minecraft going to all platforms and that increasing the intensity of the community and you'll see us do more of that. Obviously, bringing Game Pass to even the PC is going to be a big element of that," Nadella added.
Of course, the subscription service can only be as good as its games. To that end, Nadella says first-party content is key to its approach, and that it now has 11 game studios under its Microsoft Studios umbrella. Through these development houses, Microsoft is able to offer certain games to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on launch day.
Some of the current games that are available include Forza Horizon 4, Sea of Thieves, The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, Fallout 4, Rocket League, Doom, Halo 5: Guardians, and Rise of the Tomb Raider.
As with Netflix and its catalog of movies, subscribers don't actually own any of the titles. However, Microsoft does offer discounts of up to 20 percent on certain games, if a user wants to purchase a particular title.
One thing Nadella did not say is exactly when Xbox Game Pass will land on PC.
