Well it looks like I might be in for a little bit of relief. Trying to get a popular culture blog/website off the ground is turning out to be quite the daunting task, especially when gaming is getting more and more expensive. Not only is it difficult for a single person to play and write about all this stuff in a timely manner, but most of the time I can’t even afford to get my hands on most new games right at launch.
My cries of desperation and sorrow didn’t fall on deaf ears, apparently. Microsoft heard my plea, and has decided to release their first party titles on their Game Pass service day and date with their retail launches. This is good news to any gamer, but for someone like myself, this is huge.
Now, let’s set aside all the speculation on why Microsoft is choosing to do this, because I’ve been listening to that speculation all day today and it’s just not healthy. Nor should it be something we worry about. We are the consumers, and we are the clear winners in this deal. It’s as simple as that.
Instead, I’m going to focus on what this means for me.
For me, not only does this mean access to Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, and Crackdown 3, it also means possible access to games I’d love to play, but just can’t justify purchasing. Games like Ori and the Blind Forest and Cuphead, which I am interested in and would be inevitably terrible at, I can finally give a shot.
The Negative Nancies out there will no doubt point out the lack of quantity in Microsoft’s first party exclusive offerings, and sure, I can’t deny that the pickings can be pretty slim. But I think those people are being short-sighted. Game Pass is a service like Netflix, and just as Netflix did with their original programming, the Game Pass subscriber-base will give Microsoft an audience to try things with that they might not have done before. Let’s say, just for kicks, that Microsoft ends up with 10 million subscribers by the end of summer. Which is possible, considering the service has been going since last year, and this is the kind of news that will sway people on the fence. But, let’s say there are 10 million subcribers. That’s 10 million people that are already there, that have nothing to lose by trying out their new game. If you’re looking for diversity, the potential is there.
You can debate all day long on whether Sony or Nintendo would follow suit if Microsoft is successful. The truth is, Sony’s been horribly stubborn this gen. They’re having great success right now, and honestly if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And Nintendo, well… I gave up a long time ago trying to figure out what Nintendo is thinking. In a few months, the Switch will have been out for a year, and we still haven’t received the Virtual Console news we are all waiting for. Perhaps they’ll jump on board once they see if it’s working for MS, perhaps they’re just waiting for an E3 announcement, or perhaps Reggie will just flap his arms and caw like a bird for 20 minutes. Who the hell knows?
At least in the meantime I will be having a swashbuckling good time sailing with my buddies, because for ten bucks, there’s no excuse for them not to join me.
