Microsoft might be the last big contender to enter the console market, but that doesn’t make it any less influential than its immediate competition. Xbox started the online gaming scene on consoles with its at-the-time revolutionary Xbox Live service, and the competition quickly followed suit with its offerings.
Microsoft is yet again making waves within the industry withXbox Game Pass, and fans seem to be very positive on it. However, the giant seems to be reluctant towards pushing the original Xbox Live Gold subscription aside in favor of Game Pass, as has been reported by notable insiders on multiple occasions. While it’s always best for the end-consumer to have a say in such matters, there’s a multitude of reasons as to why ditching Xbox Live Gold entirely makes sense.
RELATED:How Xbox Game Pass is Redefining the Industry
Xbox Game Pass Is Microsoft’s Biggest Ace
As mentioned before, Xbox has struck gold with its forward-thinking and innovative subscription service. Some fans considerXbox Game Pass to be the quintessential part of owning an Xbox console, for good reason. Microsoft has struggled with strong first-party output in the past, and while the giant has almost two dozen studios working for that very reason, many of those studios have yet to prove themselves.
That being said, the extended period of drought will be ending sooner rather than later.343 Industries’Halo Infinitewill be dropping this holiday, which should get the ball rolling for others to follow suit. Following the Bethesda acquisition,Starfieldwill also be an Xbox exclusive. That’s without mentioning the pantheon of games announced this E3, withRedfall,Everwild,Contraband, andS.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chernobylall coming exclusively to the console in the near future.
Furthermore, all of this first-party content will be dropping on the service at launch. In addition to this,Xbox is currently pursuing a number of dealswith third-party developers and indie developers to bring those games to the service at launch, increasing the value of the service by a massive margin.
Concerns With Subscription Services Outweighing The Benefits
However, it’s understandable that many fans might have reservations about subscription services and aren’t interested in the service at all. It could be because such fans might like owning physical copies of games, or already own a majority of the titles available on the service. Many have also shared concerns regarding ownership and how any of the games on offer could disappear at any given day, although announcements for such cases happen beforehand.
RELATED:Best Indie Games On Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: The Math Checks Out
Furthermore, Microsoft’s pricing models make it such that fans opting for an Xbox Live Gold andXbox Game Pass subscriptionare potentially operating at a loss when compared to an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
RELATED:What Sony’s Lack of a Response to Xbox Game Pass at State of Play Could Mean for PS Now
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Could Be Microsoft’s Future
As GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb has reiterated recently,Microsoft already has plans for ditching the service entirelyonce Xbox Game Pass reaches a milestone number. Its already been mentioned that it could happen due to a number of reasons, but hopefully, there might be something much better with Xbox Game Pass becoming the standard. Speculatively speaking, all of the investment Microsoft continues to put into Xbox Live Gold may get diverted towards Xbox Game Pass, which could help grow the service to even newer heights.
