Xbox Game Pass Coming To PCs

Console and PC gamers alike fear that Microsoft might be smashing their two worlds together. Those fears have so far not yet been realized though Microsoft has indeed taken steps to put its two gaming platforms on somewhat equal footing. Fortunately, those changes have been pretty beneficial for gamers on both sides of the fence. At a recent earnings call, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed plans to again level the playing field by bringing the once Xbox-exclusive Game Pass subscription to Windows 10 PCs as well.

Launched just last year, the Xbox Game Pass has more or less been positively received among console gamers. It was Microsoft's take on the Netflix-style subscription (a.k.a. rental) service that has become popular among digital content distributors. But unlike Netflix, Game Pass' rotating list of 100 games can be fully downloaded instead of just being streamed.

Soon, Microsoft will be bringing that to PCs, though details are pretty much nonexistent at this point. Windows Central guesses that it will be integrated into Microsoft Store, which is pretty much a given anyway. What titles will be included is also a guessing game, but Microsoft already laid the groundwork for that long ago.

There is, after all, this thing called Play Anywhere which requires first-party games to be available for both Xbox One and Windows 10. Game Pass, however, includes third-party games which may not be part of Play Anywhere. There are, however, also PC exclusive games out of reach for console players.

The bigger question, however, is whether a PC-based Game Pass would have the same success as the Xbox One version. Unlike on the Xbox, the Microsoft Store isn't the go-to for PC games. Plus, a subscription service that makes sense on consoles may not have the same impact on PCs.