Launching Day 1 on Xbox Game Pass is a “Risk-Averse” Strategy for “Some Titles,” Analyst Says

Day and date launches for all Microsoft first party games already made Xbox Game Pass an excellent service (among other things), but lately, it seems like there’s going to be a lot more to look forward to. With major third party games like Outriders and MLB The Show 21 seeing day one launches for the subscription service, its potential for growth has increased dramatically, with the gates now open for other third party games to follow suit.

And according to Ampere Analysis Research Director Piers Harding-Rolls, we’re likely to see more day one Xbox Game Pass launches going forward. Speaking to Inverse, Harding-Rolls said that for games that don’t see top-tier sales or for new IPs, launching day and date on Game Pass is “an increasingly risk-averse strategy” for many reasons, and going forward, games like those might be likely candidates for the same.

“For some titles, launching day one into Game Pass is an increasingly risk-averse strategy,” Harding-Rolls said to Inverse. “It secures a payment upfront, offers an engaged audience of over 18 million subscribers that can still be monetized through in-game spending, and there is the flexibility of removing the title to boost premium sales at a later date if required.

““Those titles that are not top-tier in sales volume terms or that are based on new IP — i.e., do not have an established audience — could be solid candidates for day one releases.”

He went on to add that from Microsoft’s perspective, paying large amounts of up-front money to secure Game Pass launches for major games is “worth it”, since they’re focused on the service’s long-term growth rather than short-term gains.

“From Microsoft’s perspective, even paying a substantial sum to secure the game on release is worth it,” he said. “Microsoft is not thinking about short-term profitability as it continues its aggressive content and subscriber acquisition path for Game Pass. Competitively, the optics of this move are strong, and it keeps the Game Pass momentum building.”

Recently, reports have suggested that a AAA third party shooter – possibly Battlefield 6 – will also be launching day one on Game Pass this Fall.