Xbox Game Pass is pretty hard to resist, right? A monthly subscription brings you tons of titles that you can download and play whenever you want – as long as they stay on the surface. And with Microsoft acquiring companies like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, the prospect of those games becoming exclusive to the system as well as being on Game Pass, it’s one heck of a sales pitch.
With Activision in particular, the Call of Duty publishers and their new owners in the Big X (doesn’t sound as good, does it?), they’re adamant they still want their titles to release on the Switch. It totally makes sense, with IPs like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater all being big hitters alongside the FPS giant. But having those on Game Pass, too? That’s the real draw, especially as Sony has now announced an overhauled subscription service.
Following Sony’s big reveal last week, we put each of the big three’s subscription services up against each other. They’re all pretty different and offer different things, so you should have a peek:
Anyway, back to blue-sky thinking for Game Pass. A poll conducted by YouGov earlier this year has revealed that nearly 50% of US PlayStation and Switch owners would consider Game Pass if any Activision franchise was included in the subscription service. That number is slightly lower in the UK, where just under 30% of Switch and PlayStation gamers would consider the same. That’s still almost a third of the market, which isn’t unsubstantial given that there hasn’t been a new Call of Duty game on Nintendo hardware since Ghosts. That’s nearly ten years ago!
You don’t need an Xbox console to get Game Pass, so don’t worry about forking out for a new console if you’re interested. You can get the subscription service on your PC or some Android devices, or stream them via Xbox’s Cloud Gaming service. The idea of trying out brand new titles and AAA releases as soon as they come out on a subscription service would be a big draw for many.
Have you got Game Pass? What would tempt you to sign up for the service if you haven’t? And do you think Nintendo should do something similar? Let us know.