This Xbox Games Showcase Announcement Is A Game Changer

The big Xbox Games Showcase livestream event finally happened today and there were plenty of interesting reveals for fans. Not only did we get to see footage from upcoming titles for the Xbox Series X like Halo Infinite and Avowed, but there were some unexpected announcements regarding Xbox's overall plans for the future. The reception to the Xbox Series X event was mixed on social media, with some people being underwhelmed by the lineup of games and the graphics displayed during the show. However, there was one thing that just about everyone agreed on as a positive.

Part of the way through the presentation, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer hit fans with a huge piece of news. "We believe that how you find and play your games is as important as the device you play them on," said Spencer. "Xbox Game Pass is the best way to discover and play, and we want you to be able to experience as many great games as possible. So Game Pass members, you can play every game you see today from your subscription or free-to-play."

In the past, Xbox has offered first-party games through Xbox Game Pass on launch day, but it seems that this will now extend to include titles that aren't necessarily from first-party developers. Basically, it was already a given that you'd be able to fire up Game Pass and play Halo Infinite or Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 whenever they eventually launch. Now, in order to get people even more hyped about everything they saw during today's livestream, they can look forward to playing games like The Medium and Grounded as well. 

This should give players an even more well-rounded experience through Game Pass, giving them access to brand new Xbox Series X titles right away. In other words, this is a big deal. This announcement has received quite a positive response among fans. In particular, Bloomberg's Jason Schrier found that to be one of the biggest takeaways from the livestream event. 

"It's wild that for $10/month you'll get every single one of these first-party Xbox games on launch day," tweeted Schrier. "Can't think of a better deal in gaming than Xbox Game Pass."

IGN's Ryan McCaffrey concurred with this point and seemed to really be feeling the hype. He tweeted, "The fact that EVERY game here is in Xbox Game Pass is incredible. That's NUTS."

On the other hand, there were a few dissenting voices regarding Xbox's Game Pass announcements. While the deal itself was praised, some people felt that Xbox mentioned it way too much over the course of the livestream. In other words, some people felt like it was too much of a sales pitch, which turned them off somewhat.

One of these people was Daily Thunder writer Logan Meyer, who tweeted, "Great show with a plethora of games that excited me. My only negative was the overemphasis on GamePass. They could have said spiel once, then moved on. Could have trimmed some of that and slipped in a game. Harped too much on it, but other than that, stellar show."

It has also been confirmed that Microsoft has indeed partnered with Bungie on future Destiny 2 expansions. This September, Destiny 2 will launch free of charge on Xbox Game Pass and will include all previous expansions to the game. This will also include the Beyond Light DLC, which has been pushed back to November. In other words, it's a pretty good bet that brand new Xbox Series X owners will have access to everything Destiny 2 has to offer when they sign up for Game Pass.

Paul Tassi of Forbes (who frequently covers Destiny 2 for that publication) was particularly excited about this development. On Twitter, he wrote, "I am biased but that Destiny trailer/Game Pass announce was the best part of the show." Other fans, such as YouTuber King Gothalion, agreed that this seemed like a huge win for Bungie and Destiny 2.

While there were plenty of interesting sneak peeks at upcoming Xbox Series X games during the showcase event, it's easy to see why the Game Pass announcements have people more excited than anything else. This could be a real game changer for the Xbox Series X. While the PlayStation 5 also has a rather robust lineup of exclusive games coming up, it's worth remembering that the prices of individual games may be going up from some publishers. 

If that's the case, then Xbox Game Pass customers may have it made in the shade. Being able to play a plethora of games for a subscription fee may be the way to go, especially if everyone is starting to move towards more digital-based gaming overall.