Xbox Game Pass continued its bid to claim the sole spot as best gaming subscription service around today, announcing at X019 that it would be adding over 40 games to its library beginning today and spanning the 2019 holiday season and 2020. Xbox Game Pass has consistently been a standout service since its inception, giving fans access to an incredible amount of titles in their library for relatively low monthly or annual subscription fees.
Xbox Game Pass also made waves as a service that would offer players direct access - sometimes even early - to brand new titles. Earlier this fall, Gears 5 became the most popular release in the franchise and the biggest Xbox Game Studios launch this generation, and its numbers were supported by the fact that players could get it by having an Xbox Game Pass subscription at the time. Incentives like picking up the hottest new exclusives early are certainly a way of establishing a service as must-own, and Xbox Game Pass continues to deliver high quality games whenever it announces new additions to its library, as evidenced by an exceptionally strong October showing from the service that easily out-did its competitors.
At X019 today, Xbox showed no signs of slowing down its support of the Xbox Game Pass program, announcing that there were over 40 different games tagged for addition to its already extensive library for the rest of 2019 and into 2020. Xbox announced that it would be giving Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members 1 free month of EA Access, 3 months of Discord Nitro, and 6 months of Spotify Premium as part of their member benefits, further strengthening both the brand's partnerships and what it offers subscribers. Of the new games, 8 are available right now, including Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, RAGE 2, and The Talos Principle.
The games coming later this year and into 2020 are exciting as well, however, and feature some big draws: the entire Final Fantasy franchise from FF7 to FF15, excepting FFXIV; Darksiders 3; Life is Strange 2; Tekken 7; and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are just some of the massive arrivals on the service. The company also announced that several Xbox Game Studios titles coming in 2020 would also be coming to Xbox Game Pass, including Bleeding Edge, Grounded, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
Xbox Game Pass continues to establish itself as an incredible value purchase for fans with access to its platform. Heading into 2020, that's going to be even more important with next-generation consoles beginning to take center stage. More reason to purchase an Xbox console and support Microsoft's gaming endeavors will do wonders for a company that's looking for a fresh start with Scarlett, and programs like Xbox Game Pass are exactly what's needed.