AAA games Outriders and Age of Empires 4 are coming to Xbox Game Pass on PC in October, alongside several other titles across console, PC, and cloud gaming. Xbox Game Pass preparing for a ramp-up in content for Xbox’s 20th anniversary celebration. Xbox Game Pass's upcoming three-month line-up of games includes first-party games like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, as well as the addition of Minecraft Bedrock and Java editions for PC and Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition.
The fact that Xbox Game Pass for PC is adding Outriders to its library is somewhat surprising, as developer People Can Fly reported the looter shooter had not made a profit as of August 2021. Outriders saw massive player counts as part of its day-one release on Xbox Game Pass, leading some to assume Outriders not profiting despite a Game Pass launch could be related to the service itself. Though Outriders, a new IP, possibly saw greater success than it would have thanks to the subscription service, People Can Fly did not receive any royalties from publisher Square Enix as a result of the game’s first-quarter sales period. Despite this, Outriders is arriving on another Xbox Game Pass library for PC subscribers later this month.
According to Xbox, Outriders and Age of Empires 4 are coming to Xbox Games Pass for PC alongside Dragon Ball FighterZ and a long list of indie hits. Outriders is available for PC subscribers on October 19, and Age of Empires 4 will arrive when the game officially launches on October 28. Other games coming to Xbox Game Pass in October include a game preview for Everspace 2 on PC, the fast-paced retro-FPS Roguelite Into the Pit, as well as Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. The Forgotten City, Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition, Bassmaster Fishing 2022, and Backbone will also be arriving soon.
Xbox Game Pass’s October games lineup is chock-full of fresh content for the subscription service, though it is strange that Outriders is expanding its Xbox Game Pass availability to PC. While it was successful with the number of installs it saw, the game did not commercially achieve what it seems People Can Fly expected in light of its evident popularity earlier in 2021. Perhaps Outriders performed better in Q2 revenue and is back for another round on Xbox Games Pass for PC to collect more.
Published by Xbox Game Studios, Age of Empires 4 coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch is also a significant addition for both the game subscription service and the classic RTS sequel. Age of Empires iterations of the past have found a home on Steam, but it makes sense it would come to Game Pass with Xbox publishing.
Source: Xbox