Xbox Game Pass has grown to be a core pillar of Xbox One, delivering a Netflix-style library of games for a flat monthly fee. With over 100 games onboard and new Microsoft-published games headed to the service at launch, the service touts growing value for all.
Speaking at San Francisco's Barclays conference, Xbox head and Microsoft's Executive Vice President of Gaming, Phil Spencer, has outlined plans for its service. As reported by GameSpot, Spencer discussed a drive to bring Xbox Game Pass to "every device," expanding its reach to a broader audience.
While backing prior talk of a PC expansion from Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, Spencer also touched on mobile, and specifically Android devices. Project xCloud, its recently unveiled cloud-based game streaming technology, could be the catalyst for this expansion, already promising "console-quality" games on portable devices. With a proven subscription model, Xbox Game Pass may go hand-in-hand with Project xCloud, delivering a new revenue stream beyond the living room.
So we built Xbox Game Pass--it started on console, it will come to PC, and eventually it will come to every device--we use the flywheel that we have with customers on an Xbox to start the growth in Xbox Game Pass. But as somebody sitting back and taking a longer-term view of where our business is going, you should look at that as a business model that we think scales to billions of people not hundreds of millions of people like retail does.
"Every device" also leaves room for speculation on future ventures, potentially beyond Xbox One, Windows PCs, and mobile. Given continued cross-platform efforts, expansions to Nintendo and PlayStation systems can't be ruled out, even if resistance from some platform holders is expected. For Microsoft, building its Xbox Game Pass library, and getting it into more hands, is the clear focus going forward.
For those yet to jump onboard, Xbox Game Pass is available now for Xbox One, priced at $10 per month. Amazon is even offering a sale on the 12-month subscription right now, dropping its price to just $70 for a limited time.
