Today on Major Nelson's Xbox Live Blog Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, announced the Xbox Game Pass, a new subscription service that will allow subscribers to have unrestricted access to over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games. This Game Pass will become available publicly in the Spring of 2017 and will cost $9.99 a month for those subscribed.
So far Phil Spencer stated that they are working with a variety of big name publishers to add a large number of quality titles to the game pass. Publishers include 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. Their aim is to not just fill the Game Pass with quality titles but also to ensure that there is enough variety so that anyone can find a game that they want to play. When Xbox Game Pass becomes available a couple of the titles you can expect include Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16, and SoulCalibur II.
The Xbox Game Pass will not be a streaming service like PlayStation Now but instead, you will download all of the titles to your Xbox One. If you subscribe to the Game Pass and want to purchase a game to keep in your library then you will also have access to exclusive discounts on everything from the title to any additional content that might be included. The list will not be stagnant either as every month some games might be added but some games may also be removed from the program.
While this subscription will be available in the Spring for the public the subscription will be available for select members of the Xbox Insider Program in the Alpha ring with a limited number of games, "approximately 20 titles in preview, many of them arcade". From there it will then open up to Xbox Live Gold members before launching to everyone. If you're a part of the Xbox Insider Program and want to get involved immediately then you can reboot your Xbox One now, or the option should show up shortly. During the preview there will also not be full localization, meaning that all of the menus, product descriptions, and channel names will appear in English.
What do you think of Xbox creating the Xbox Game Pass? Would you be willing to pay another $10 a month for cycling titles? Is there anything they could add to make this more worthwhile for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!