Microsoft’s Xbox division has been pushing towards a digital future with the Game Pass subscription service. It opens up a massive catalog of video game titles to enjoy. Likewise, you get all of Microsoft’s first-party video game titles. However, that doesn’t mean that Game Pass is as easily accessible as Microsoft would like. Currently, the Game Pass subscription service is rather widely available, but it’s not enough in Microsoft’s eyes. Recently, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart spoke about the move to bring Game Pass out to more platforms.
We’ve heard in the past from individuals like Xbox head Phil Spencer that Xbox would like to see Game Pass easily available across all available screens. Now, thanks to Gamespot, we’re discovering that Xbox CFO Tim Stuart reiterated this motive during a talk at the Wells Fargo TMT Summit. During the summit, it’s reported that Tim Stuart stated that Microsoft’s Xbox goal is to make first-party games and Game Pass available across every screen that can possibly play video games. Breaking it down that means smart TVs, mobile devices, and even rival competitor platforms like Nintendo and PlayStation.
Now, it remains to be seen if that ever becomes the case. But Game Pass is all about making games more accessible to players. With streaming, players could eventually eliminate the need for powerful consoles and gaming PCs. We might be a good way off from that, but Microsoft is looking to chart the way. Meanwhile, Microsoft is also looking to make itself a bit more of a competitive player in the video game industry market. There have been several acquisitions lately, such as the purchase of Activision Blizzard.
That was a massive purchase for Microsoft that cost them nearly $69 billion. But that means they now have control of more IPs and resources. Unfortunately, it’s been a waiting game for players actively subscribed to Game Pass to see some of these Activision Blizzard titles make their way onto the subscriptions. We expect Call of Duty games to land on the subscription service starting next year. With Call of Duty being such a massive franchise, it’s reassuring that there are contract deals in place to continue seeing Call of Duty games land on competitor platforms rather than being strictly a Microsoft exclusive. That said, it makes Game Pass a little more enticing knowing that you’ll get these future game titles on the subscription service at launch.
