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Microsoft takes another step towards treating video games as a Netflix service, CEO Satya Nadella confirming that the equivalent of the Xbox Game Pass subscription is imminent for PC gamers. Do you want to subscribe?
When Microsoft launched the Xbox Game Pass in June 2017, the Netflix content access method was adopted. For a $ 10 monthly subscription, you can play hundreds of games spread across the Xbox One., Xbox 360 and Xbox libraries. New proprietary games are automatically added for subscribers, and access is unlimited. If a game is available on Xbox Game Pass, you can play as much as you want.
Now, Microsoft realizes that the popularity of Xbox Game Pass can translate into PC games. According to Eurogamer, in the latest call for quarterly results, Microsoft's general manager, Satya Nadella, confirmed that a version of Game Pass was heading to the PC.
Nadella pointed out that Microsoft was "best in class" in terms of game monetization and that it was becoming more effective in supporting the community around gaming, with Minecraft being a key example. He went on to say that "the integration of the Game Pass on a PC" would continue to strengthen the creation of communities while taking full advantage of Microsoft's monetization system. In other words, Microsoft sees a great opportunity in PC subscription games.
If you look at the PC game as a whole, you can see that there is a gap in the market for such a service. Steam is the market leader by a long way to offer access to PC games, but has no subscription option. GOG is the same. EA offers Origin Access at $ 4.99 per month, which includes 75 EA games and third-party titles. Clearly, Microsoft could easily surpass the EA with a lot of games, but it seems likely that the cost of the $ 10 subscription would remain the same.
For a PC game pass to work, Microsoft must be up and running. From the launch, hundreds of games must be available, with a healthy selection of third parties. A roadmap of games added to the subscription in the coming months would also boost self-confidence and encourage more players to sign up.
It will be interesting to see how other services will react when Microsoft launches this subscription. Will Valve now consider an equivalent for Steam? Will EA improve access to the origin? In a few years, will all PC players be subscribers because it has become the norm?
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