Microsoft has officially confirmed that they will have an Xbox Partner Preview event this week.
As revealed in the official Xbox Wire post, the stream will be broadcast this Thursday, October 17, at 10 AM PT on YouTube and Twitch. Microsoft confirmed they would be showing the following games:
- Alan Wake II expansion
- Like A Drago: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii trailer
- Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
They also mentioned that they would have games from Remedy Entertainment, Sega, and 505 Games. These three are the publishers of the games we mentioned above, but that does not rule out the possibility of even more games to be revealed from those companies.
And of course they promised other games, including world premieres, coming for Xbox consoles and Game Pass.
As we had noted when this event was just a rumor, Microsoft knows that many viewers are seeing this as a preview of games they will be buying on PlayStation. But then again, given what we now know about consumer behavior on PlayStation 5, more of those gamers will actually be buying these games on Steam.
Nonetheless, we should remember that Microsoft’s new strategy is abandoning third party exclusives Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer has expressed his distaste for this ‘slimy’ behavior.
But on top of that, we already know that signing up for console exclusivity doesn’t really pay off for most game companies. Square Enix learned that lesson hard.
And while Shift Up touted a successful partnership for their release of Stellar Blade, that title’s comparatively lower budget made it easier to break even. And there’s a legitimate question if the game would have done better with a third party publisher, launching as a multiplatform title from the onset.
In any case, Microsoft will also want to use this as an opportunity to sell viewers on their own products. While the Xbox Series X|S consoles themselves will be a hard sell, Microsoft does have newer models to promote.
But we are likely thinking of the bigger opportunity Microsoft has in selling their audiences on Game Pass. The Game Pass PC and Game Pass Ultimate tiers are particularly enticing, now that Microsoft has confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and Call of Duty Warzone will all be available on PC and streaming.
And all of this will be even more enticing if Microsoft can announce streaming for Xbox games on the Android Game Pass app at the event. Since Xbox president Sarah Bond made it official, we shouldn’t be surprised to hear more about it here.
