BT has apologised after it emerged that some broadband customers are being charged for Xbox Game Pass subscriptions without their knowledge.
15.01.2024 - 10:53 / gamerant.com / Xbox Game Pass / Dominik Bo / Xbox Game
Xbox Game Pass is losing four games, including Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden, later today. The latest departures from Microsoft's subscription service are happening mere days after Xbox Game Pass added We Happy Few and Super Mega Baseball 4, the latter of which is an exclusive for its Ultimate members.
The Xbox Game Pass catalog typically changes every few days, with most such updates being reserved for new title additions. In contrast, the subscription service normally only loses games on the 15th and last day of the month.
The latest such revision is scheduled for later today, January 15, when Xbox Game Pass is set to lose Garden Story, MotoGP 22, Persona 3 Portable, and Persona 4 Golden. All of these departures from Xbox Game Pass were originally announced in mid-December. The Windows Edition of MotoGP 22 has recently been treated to an 85% Xbox Store discount, allowing fans to continue playing for $7.49 following its exit from Microsoft's subscription service. Meanwhile, the two outgoing Persona games are presently only available at their full price, which is $19.99 a piece. Ditto for the $21.99 ARPG Garden Story.
Garden Story and MotoGP 22 enjoyed fairly long stints as part of the Xbox Game Pass catalog, as both titles were originally added to Microsoft's library back in July 2022. Meanwhile, Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden have been available via Xbox Game Pass for just under a year, having originally been added to the service on January 19, 2023. Year-long availability periods are fairly standard practice for Atlus RPGs, as that's how long Persona 5 Royal was available on Xbox Game Pass as well, before leaving the service back in October.
Microsoft's subscribers who didn't manage to complete Persona 3 Portable over the past year should bear in mind that Persona 3 Reload has already been confirmed as a day-one Xbox Game Pass release back in mid-2023. The remake of the third installment in the franchise is scheduled to drop on February 2, albeit without the alternate female protagonist featured in P3P.
Despite these imminent departures, January 2024 has already proven to be a big month for Xbox Game Pass members, not least because Microsoft added half a dozen new titles to its subscription service over the past two weeks. At least five more games will be joining the Xbox Game Pass library before the end of the month, including Resident Evil 2, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, and Go Mecha Ball.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft's flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
BT has apologised after it emerged that some broadband customers are being charged for Xbox Game Pass subscriptions without their knowledge.
As part of major changes to Apple’s App Store policies to comply with EU regulations, the company has also announced that game streaming apps are now to be accepted on the App Store for the first time. This opens the door for Xbox Game Pass, GeForce Now, PlayStation Plus, Amazon Luna and other game streaming subscriptions to have dedicated apps on iPhone and iPad – they were previously only accessible via built-in web browsers.
The January 25 Xbox Game Pass update is adding a new day-one title in the form of Go Mecha Ball. This hectic indie release promises to add to the already sizable collection of high-quality roguelike games on Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate added additional perks for subscribers to redeem. The perks cover a wide variety of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate titles, so users should consider checking them out to see if any of their favorite games are included.
The multiplayer monster-collecting game Palworld is now available on Xbox Game Pass in early access. Developed and published by Pocketpair, the game is available to play on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, as well as PC via Game Pass and Steam. Palworld has been dubbed “Pokemon with guns” by the developer and offers players the chance to fight and team up with creatures called Pals, while also crafting and exploring the game's vast open world and dungeons.
The recent Xbox Developer Direct has confirmed previous leaks that Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is launching for PC and Xbox Series X/S on Tuesday, May 21 as a day one Xbox Game Pass game. The original Hellblade is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning game, and so expectations are high for Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.
Xbox Game Pass growth is slowing down, a newly emerged analyst report suggests. This bit of unofficial insight into the popular service could help explain why there are currently no up-to-date Xbox Game Pass subscriber figures to speak of.
Based on a recent series of tweets from Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, it doesn't sound like Baldur's Gate 3 will be coming to any subscription service like PS Plus or Xbox Game Pass anytime soon. Vincke's discussion comes shortly after discourse surrounding a Ubisoft CEO saying fans should get used to not owning their games was shared in many online circles; in short, it seems Vincke wholeheartedly disagrees.
The talk of video game subscription services has come from many different places over the last week or so. You might remember an article we wrote yesterday about statements Ubisoft made about gaming subscription services in the wake of their upcoming Ubisoft+ service. But the “king” of such services is easily the Xbox Game Pass. The point of the service is to make scores of games available to players for just $10 a month. Plus, some games will be “day one releases” of significant gaming titles. Microsoft has been quick to tout the success of their service, but how well is it really doing?
The January 18 Xbox Game Pass update will introduce two additional games to the service: F1 23 and Turnip Boy Robs a Bank. These releases mark the second expansion of Microsoft's subscription catalog since the turn of the week, arriving just two days after Xbox Game Pass added two acclaimed horror games in the form of Those Who Remain and the Resident Evil 2 remake.
Xbox Game Pass is known for its continually expanding library of games, but along with the frequent additions to the subscription service, it does occasionally lose some titles as well. Games that are set to be removed are usually announced alongside additions, so it's often easy to prepare for the changes coming in a month ahead of time. Even with an active subscription, games can't be played after they leave the service, so having enough heads-up for a decent window to play the game tends to ease a lot of potential frustration.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is coming to Xbox Game Pass on Thursday, September 5, 2024 as a day one game. STALKER fans have well over a decade to get their hands on STALKER 2. Unfortunately, the ambitious first-person shooter has been delayed multiple times, with this latest delay seeing it pushed out of its previously-announced Q1 2024 release window.