It’s been rumoured for a while, but it’s finally coming: Microsoft’s Netflix-esque subscription service for gaming, the Xbox Game Pass, is coming to the PC with more than 100 games at launch.
Microsoft has spoken plenty in the last few years about their commitment to PC, but the Microsoft Store and Windows 10 hasn’t always quite lived up to expectations. Adding Xbox Game Pass, which costs $10.95 a month but is often discounted to $1 a month during promotional periods, is one way Microsoft hopes to change that.
Devolver Digital, SEGA, Paradox, Deep Silver, and Bethesda have all been named as partners for the launch, and the official announcement says more than 100 games will be available on the service when it launches. Upcoming games from inXile and Obsidian will also be added to Xbox Game Pass PC at launch.
One key detail is that it’ll be a separate library from the current Xbox Game Pass offering. The announcement also has some other interesting details, namely that Microsoft is enabling full support for Win32 games on the Microsoft Store, instead of only UWP apps:
We want creators to be inspired to bring their best content to Windows 10, and we want Windows 10 to be the place where gamers come to discover their next favourite PC game. We recognise that Win32 is the app format that game developers love to use and gamers love to play, so we are excited to share that we will be enabling full support for native Win32 games to the Microsoft Store on Windows. This will unlock more options for developers and gamers alike, allowing for the customisation and control they’ve come to expect from the open Windows gaming ecosystem.
Microsoft’s own PC games will be released more widely, too. “With that in mind, our intent is to make our Xbox Game Studios PC games available in multiple stores, including our own Microsoft Store on Windows, at their launch,” Phil Spencer said. No official release date has been announced as of yet, although Spencer did add that more details, a date included, would be revealed at E3.
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