168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Xbox Game Pass has been the defining feature of the latest console generation. Assuming we count the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Nintendo Switch and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Tears of the Kingdom separately, the only game you might argue is truly great and able to represent the generation as a whole has been 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Elden Ring. Even then, it was released on last gen systems too. No game has come along and bottled up the new power of the latest consoles and shook it up until it fizzed into legend. Instead, the current generation has been defined by a question of access - Xbox has tried to broaden its reach with Game Pass replicating the Netflix model, and Sony has stuck with prestige exclusives.
As well as all of Xbox’s exclusives hitting Game Pass on day one, it has shuffled games great and small around. It’s a fantastic way to explore new titles you might not have otherwise given a chance, or to catch up on old classics. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Jim Ryan says everyone hates it, but as PlayStation head honcho he’s hardly an unbiased source for all things Xbox. I’m sure in time the business model will change as Xbox absorbs more players into the ecosystem, but maybe then Sony will be forced to react from its exclusive-heavy, $70 price point strategy. In any case, the latest big gun on Xbox’s shores is a bona fide contender for the greatest game ever: 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Grand Theft Auto 5.
This is not the first time GTA 5 has been on Game Pass - and it will likely leave and return again in the future. With the game taking so long to beat I can see why that could be frustrating, ꦫbut it’s also so cheap now that if anyone who has somehow missed out until now falls in love, they can pick it up for pennies if Xbox removes it in the future. And despite Ryan’s claims, there is evidence the move is positive for GTA too.
The last time GTA 5 was on Game Pass, its quarterly revenue jumped from $179 million to $210 million - a significan❀t boost. This number was boosted further, to $263 million, when it became free on Epic Game Store shortly afterwards. Though GTA 5 mostly won praise for its single-player mode and immersive world, these days it’s played by the majority for GTA Online, and putting the game in front of more people only increases the chance of selling those shark cards.
This makes a lot of sense - GTA as a brand is not in need of any promo. I think 5 may have run its course with ports at this stage, while GTA 6 being revealed will be the biggest news story of the year when it drops. The leak has not dampened enthusiasm or spoiled any anticipation, it has only heightened our bloodlust. Off the backs of GTA’s long-running success, Rockstar’s previous outing with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Red Dead Redemption 2, and a general respect for Rockstar’s quality, GTA 6 might be the most trusted and anticipated upcoming game. Throwing GTA ⭕5 on Game Pass will not move the needle: it’s on there for itself, not as a table-setter.
There has always been the sense that Game Pass is good for players, but a fear that it’s not so much for publishers. While Microsoft cuts deals to get things on Game Pass, critics of the system will point to the lost sales for games arriving on day one, especially if they’re not in-house Xbox games like Star💟field whose job is to sell systems, not copies. But for these bigger, longer running games, the benefit of Game Pass to both players and publishers is clear ♐to see, and it’s because Xbox has laid the groundwork in making players trust the service more than PlayStation has tried with Plus.
GTA 5 on Game Pass is a great excuse to finally check it out, or dive back in for more mayhem. It shows the value of Game Pass in our current ecosystem for everybody, and while Xbox may change🍃 things in the future, for now we should enjoy it while we can.