Microsoft Hopes Xbox Game Pass Can Show Indies To New Markets

I think we’ve all had that game we tried on a whim that was really, really good but you never could convince anyone else to try it. ID@Xbox Director Chris Charla knows exactly how you feel, and sees the Xbox Game Pass service, a recently launched service akin to Sony’s PlayStation Now without the streaming, as a great avenue for boosting those smaller titles that just didn’t get the love.

Speaking to Ausgamers.com in a recent interview, Charla thinks that programs like Games with Gold and Xbox Game Pass can help make sure those great titles don’t fall through the cracks. “Generally speaking the Xbox Marketplace has been pretty rational, and the good games tend to do well and games that aren’t that great tend to not do as well. But there are always cases where you’re just like “What?! You guys all need to play this game, like, what’s going on?”” said Charla.

“But, one of the things that I think is neat is that through programmes like Games with Gold and now with Xbox Game Pass, We can actually take the opportunity to showcase games that we feel not enough people got a chance to see, and hopefully get those games into a lot more hands. At the same time, we do a lot of work around this issue, and I think for most independent developers, discovery is one of the trickiest things. How do you stand out? How do you get noticed? How do you make sure that the audience that you believe is out there for your game gets to see your game?,” he further added.

Through Xbox Games Pass, Charla says Microsoft gets the chance to put a spotlight on the games that they feel need the boost to get them in front of and find the audience. Discovery has been a big question for Microsoft in this regard, but while still new, Game Pass has had a very positive launch.