Microsoft won’t rest until every single person on the planet has subscribed to Game Pass. It doesn’t even care if you own an Xbox, as it’s trying to get the service on Switch and PS5 consoles. A game is a game, I don’t care what I play it on.
Xbox wants to expand, no surprises there
Xbox CFO Tim Stuart recently said he wants Game Pass on “every screen that can play games,” including competitors PlayStation and Nintendo. It’s a change of strategy for sure, real ‘if we can’t buy them, join them,’ vibes. Unlike Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard King or wanting to buy Nintendo, this is a move I’d actually support.
In an age where game streaming is becoming more widely accessible, getting Game Pass on PS5s and Switches isn’t as far-fetched as it may initially sound. We can already run Game Pass games off mobile phones and stream Xbox games on PC and smart TVs, so why couldn’t we do the same with other consoles? Really, the only limit is one’s internet connection. That does mean this is something that would benefit gamers who live in areas where cloud and streaming infrastructure is solid—read: the West and East Asia—but as internet infrastrcuture improves in the global South, this could be opened up to more people.
This could actually do some good
Unlike mergers, I think this would be a good thing for consumers. Game Pass is already the best value for new gamers. Hundreds of games available for $16.99 a month is way cheaper than building an entire library from scratch. Even though I’ve mainly used a PlayStation my entire life, I always recommend new players go for a Series S because it’s a much cheaper than any other route into gaming. But, if you could just use your Switch or PS5 to play Game Pass titles, even Halo or Starfield, this would be even better, as you could buy whatever hardware you want.
It’s clear Microsoft just wants to expand as much as possible, but I’d rather it did it by enabling its services far and wide instead of just buying everything in sight. Who knows what’s next? Soon even I could be a Microsoft property. This might also encourage Sony and Nintendo to do the same, offering their subscriptions to more people via cloud streaming. Anything that means more people can play more games for less money is a win in my book.
While it may initially sound strange to play Pokémon on PlayStation or Gears of War on Switch, who the heck cares? Crash Bandicoot is an Xbox property, the future is now, people. A rose by any other name still smells as sweet, an ice-cold Coke in a Pepsi glass will still taste the same, and an Xbox game on a PS5 will still be fun.
