Xbox has announced the first wave of new Game Pass additions for the month of October, including Gotham Knights and The Lamplighter's League, with Forza coming soon.
14.09.2023 - 13:43 / gameranx.com / Jacqueline Scott Corley / Stephen Totilo
The FTC appealed their case vs Microsoft, which they lost in a rapid decision from District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley. That appeal is being heard at the 9th appeals court, and it is in these unlikeliest of situations that indie devs made their defense of Game Pass.
A group of indie devs, including Curve Digital, iam8bit, Finji, Strange Scaffold and Studio Wildcard, came together to file an amicus brief to the 9th appeals court. Among the reasons that they share in their brief that they support Microsoft’s deal is the merits they have found in Game Pass.
As reported by Stephen Totilo, these are the key passages in the brief that specifically talked about Game Pass:
“Subscription services like Game Pass are crucial to the success of indie games. They increase the odds that players will discover indie games, and lower the cost for players to try them when they do, since players would otherwise have to buy indie games outright.
By lowering the barrier to trying new games, subscription services like Game Pass increase the odds that indie games can break through into a viable, revenue-generating level of players and viewership.
Moreover, visibility for an indie game on one platform – like appearing among the most popular games on Game Pass – frequently translated to greater visibility and awareness (and therefore more players, and more revenue) for that game on other platforms where it is available, like Steam or PlayStation.
In these ways, Game Pass is actually an important mechanism for increasing competition in gaming, because it promotes a market where indie games can achieve and increase financial viability for their current and future games, across all platforms where they appear.”
So as these devs argue, Game Pass provides an alternative path for indies to become visible, than having to make it on Steam or PlayStation. Those platforms do have their own visibility tools and tricks, and they also have indies that they can say are loyal to their respective platform.
But the nature of how Game Pass works means the potential visibility an unknown indie can get, has that much less friction to get Xbox users to try their games.
While many critics raise questions about Xbox’s viability, and particularly if they make enough money to justify their costs, Microsoft has been consistently reporting that Game Pass has been doing well from them. As these indies say, they feel they are doing better working with Microsoft to get their games on Game Pass. That’s one more to add in favor of Game Pass. We suspect that there are even more devs who are quietly benefiting from Game Pass and want to see it keep soldering on, even if they don’t attest to it in court.
Xbox has announced the first wave of new Game Pass additions for the month of October, including Gotham Knights and The Lamplighter's League, with Forza coming soon.
If you’re subscribed to Game Pass, you have quite a few notable upcoming releases to look forward to. Microsoft has revealed the lineup of games that will be added to the subscription service’s library in the coming days as part of the first wave of October additions, and there’s a couple of major titles to look forward to.
Microsoft has announced new titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in early to mid October, which includes Forza Motorsport, Like A Dragon: Ishin!, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, and From Space.
Game Pass has become central to Microsoft’s gaming efforts ever since its introduction, driving the company to a much more platform agnostic approach. Interestingly enough, however, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan doesn’t seem to be a big fan.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it was raising the subscription prices for Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate in all markets except the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and Columbia, and as many may have expected, it looks like it won’t be the only price hike we’ll see for Microsoft’s subscription service.
Xbox announced a slew of new titles coming to its Game Pass subscription service this year. At its Tokyo Game Show segment, held Thursday, the publisher confirmed that Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will be available to members for free on day one i.e., November 9. In it, Kazama Kiryu, the famous Yakuza who faked his death to protect his family, slips into the black suit once again and works as a bodyguard codenamed ‘Joryu.' His cover is soon threatened when a mysterious figure with ties to the past comes to haunt him, spawning a crazed frenzy across the streets of Japan, as we punch our way through hordes.
will be coming to on day one. In fact, during the Xbox Digital Broadcast at Tokyo Game Show last night, there were two more games revealed to be coming to the service, including Like a Dragon: Ishin!.
Capcom will host a dedicated Online Program for Tokyo Game Show today at 7 AM PDT. In the meantime, it had a few announcements during the Xbox Digital Broadcast at Tokyo Game Show 2023, like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy coming to Game Pass for Xbox and PC on September 26th.
Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass will add Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy on September 26, Microsoft announced.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will be available via Xbox Game Pass on day one of release, publisher SEGA and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio announced.
After launching for PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler 2 is coming to Xbox. It will be available in early 2024 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC via the Microsoft Store while also launching on Game Pass. Check out the announcement trailer below.
Microsoft has recently suffered perhaps its biggest ever leak in the games industry, having accidentally uploaded unredacted documents as part of its legal proceedings with the FTC. In the process, several new details have emerged, including the company’s plans to release a cloud hybrid next-gen Xbox console in 2028, a mid-gen Xbox Series X refresh that’s apparently in the works, a new Xbox controller that will have haptic feedback, Bethesda’s whole slate of upcoming titles, and more.