Xbox Game Pass is basically a Netflix subscription for gaming
Is this the "Netflix, but for video games" that will finally stick around?
Microsoft announced Xbox Game Pass on Tuesday, a new service that gives fans free and unrestricted access to an assortment of Xbox games. That access comes at a familiar price: $9.99 per month.
It's the Netflix model, minus the streaming. Subscribers can instead download full games to their Xbox One and play them freely while they're part of the Game Pass catalog.
New titles will cycle in and out on a monthly basis, but all save data and achievement progress will remain. Subscribers also receive discount pricing in the Xbox Games Store, on both games and their add-ons.
The Game Pass program is set to launch this spring after a few months of testing. We have some immediate questions about how the service will work, but they're the sort of details that will likely be ironed out during the Xbox Insider alpha.
One point of confusion: will the "full game" availability include access to downloadable content? Some DLC that takes the form of in-game currency will likely be off the table, but what about story-based add-ons or map packs?
The new service's value will also likely depend on how often titles cycle out of the Game Pass catalog. Netflix tends to add more than it subtracts, but will Microsoft's program do the same? If it doesn't -- or if games cycle out too quickly -- there's a risk of it feeling more like a demo program designed to push players toward buying games after they disappear.
Microsoft has plenty of examples to look to as it perfects its Game Pass planning. GameFly offers a similar service, as does the Xbox console's exclusive EA Access. There's also PlayStation Now, Sony's increasingly irrelevant streaming service that focuses on older games.
The industry is also littered with the corpses of services like Gaikai, GameTap, and OnLive. Cautionary tales that will hopefully help Microsoft turn Xbox Game Pass into something worthwhile.
While the service won't be launching until sometime in the spring, Xbox Insider Program members will have access to a limited version of Game Pass starting now. The collection of 20 or so games -- largely pulled from Xbox Live Arcade -- will grow over time, eventually including AAA titles like Halo 5 Guardians (which Microsoft specifically shouts out).
Microsoft will be opening up the preview program to all Xbox Live Gold subscribers as well, at a later date. Once the service launches for real, all Xbox users -- Insiders, Gold subscribers, and everyone else -- will need to pay the monthly fee if they want Xbox Game Pass access.
Read more about the service from Xbox boss Phil Spencer right here.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
