“There’s a lot of debates going on,” said Layden while talking about games being available for “free” at launch through Game Pass. “Is Game Pass profitable? Is Game Pass not profitable? What does that mean? That’s really not the right question to ask anyway.”

“You can do all kinds of financial jiggery-pokery for any sort of corporate service to make it look profitable if you wanted to. You take enough costs out and say that’s off the balance sheet and, oh look, it’s profitable now. The real issue for me on things like Game Pass is, is it healthy for the developer?”

Rather, Layden believes that Game Pass might be directly reducing the value of games, because these kinds of services might not be “inspiring” for developers, since they don’t tend to involve other aspects of business like profit sharing.

“They’re not creating value, putting it in the marketplace, hoping it explodes, and profit sharing, and overages, and all that nice stuff,” explained Layden. “It’s just, ‘You pay me X dollars an hour, I built you a game, here, go put it on your servers’.”

“I don’t think it’s really inspiring for game developers.”

Interestingly, Layden is specifically talking about services like Microsoft’s PC and Xbox Game Pass, where the company tends to release many of its first-party games on day one. He also brought up the fact that games might often feel like they’re losing their value if they come to a subscription service on day one. Layden points to Grand Theft Auto 6 as a game that would not go on a subscription service at launch, since the title is bound to generate tremendous amounts of revenue through sales of copies.

“No lesser light than Strauss Zelnik himself has said GTA is never going on a subscription service day one,” said Layden. However, he does note that indie games might benefit more from coming to Game Pass on day one to capture a large audience right out of the gate. However, he believes that it’s “bad for the business” in the long term. “You can’t unring the bell, right?”

Generally speaking, Layden is not a fan of subscription services like Game Pass, and points to the music industry for examples of why it might turn out bad. While people rarely buying music anymore means that musicians make less and less money from their creations, they at least have other sources of revenue, like concert tickets. “The problem with gaming is all we have is launch,” he said. “That’s it. No one wants to pay money to come into the studio and watch people code,” drawing comparisons to concerts.

“I’m not a big supporter of the ‘Netflix of gaming’ idea,” he said. “I think it is a danger.”

Fortunately, there’s more to come, with Microsoft announcing three more titles coming to Game Pass this week. On February 20th, Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and EA Play subscribers can engage with F1 24, Codemasters’ latest entry in the series.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader will also be available for cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S via Game Pass Standard/Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Finally, Watch Dogs: Legion will become available in all three subscription tiers on February 25th. It’s not the most extensive list of offerings, but considering the shorter month, it makes sense.

Of course, several titles will also exit the service on February 28th. Subscribers can finish them now or purchase at a 20 percent discount. The list includes:

• F1 22 (Console and PC) EA Play
• Gris (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Maneater (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• PAW Patrol World (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Space Engineers (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Wo Long Fallen Dynasty (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Yakuza 3 Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Yakuza 4 Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)

As per Insider Gaming, February will also see Microsoft continuing its rollout of Activision Blizzard titles for the Game Pass catalog. Allegedly joining the service’s library next month are acclaimed platformer Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and Blizzard Entertainment’s MOBA Heroes of the Storm. The two will also be joined by Madden NFL 25, which will be available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers via EA Play, it’s claimed.

Presumably, Microsoft will officially announce this in the final days of January. February will also see the Game Pass launch of Obsidian Entertainment’s fantasy action RPG Avowed for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Pre-orders can net three Blood Dragon Armor sets for each class – Warrior, Mage and Rogue. However, there’s also the Deluxe Edition, retailing for $89.99 on consoles and $79.99 on PC. It includes three armor sets and six weapons for Rook, while their companions get seven armor sets and seven weapons.

Electronic Arts also confirmed that EA Play Pro subscribers can play through the “EA Play Pro Edition” when it launches on October 31st. It seems to suggest a time-limited trial, as the platform usually offers, though EA didn’t separately specify the same. Stay tuned for more details in the coming days, especially with new high-level gameplay and a PC spotlight due next week.

Of course, there’s more to come, with the sandbox farming title My Time at Sandrock coming June 19th for cloud, consoles and PC. Keplerth is available on June 20th, exclusively for PC, while EA Sports FC 24 is being added on June 25th via EA Play. SteamWorld Dig 1 and 2 go live on June 26th, and though both are playable on the cloud, the former is restricted to consoles, while the latter is only playable on PC.

Open-world RPG base-builder Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders caps off the month, arriving on June 27th for cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S. Several titles will be leaving on June 30th, though subscribers can gain a 20 percent discount on purchasing them. Check out all five of them below:

• FIFA 22 (Console and PC)
• F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Stranded Deep (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Sword and Fairy Together Forever (Cloud, Console, and PC)

F1 24 introduces several new modes over last year, doing away with Braking Point in favor of a new Driver Career. Players can progress through the usual Formula 1 career with a custom driver, partaking in secret meetings and building Recognition with their team, or play as a real-life driver like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, etc.

There’s also Challenge Career, a mini-scenario consisting of specific tracks in a driver’s career with different difficulties and leaderboards. F1 World also returns and features new elements like Fanzone, where players can choose a team and driver to complete tasks, earn points and prove their loyalty.

F1 24 is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. Check out our review for more details.

Both are available through EA Play, so you’ll need Game Pass Ultimate (or PC Game Pass for Immortals). Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 arrives on May 21st, with Ninja Theory recently outlining how it approached and depicted psychosis in a new video – check it out here. May 23rd sees the addition of Galacticare, a hospital management sim set in space, and Hauntii, a puzzle game with a ghostly protagonist.

Moving Out 2 will be available on May 28th, followed by Humanity and Lords of the Fallen (which recently received its last major update, “Master of Fate”) on May 30th. On June 4th, subscribers can access horror mystery Firework on PC and life sim Rolling Hills on cloud, consoles and PC.

As with every month, the following titles will leave Game Pass on May 31st. Finish them now or purchase them at a 20 percent discount.

• Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Farworld Pioneers (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Pac-Man Museum Plus (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Little Witch in the Woods (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Railway Empire 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

As a follow-up to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Jedi: Survivor sees Cal Kestis fighting desperately against the Empire with old and new allies. However, upon discovering a secret that could change things, he embarks on a grand adventure full of mystery.

The expanded combat includes new Lightsaber stances, including a Dual-Wield, the two-handed Crossguard and Blaster, which allows for wielding a blaster in one hand. Environments are also packed with content, from bounties to quests and collectibles. For more details, check out our review here.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is playable on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, though Xbox One and PS4 versions are also in development. A third title in the franchise is in the works but still hasn’t been officially revealed.

The adorable Lil Gator Game becomes available on April 4th along with EA Sports PGA Tour, though the latter requires EA Play (included with PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate ). Kona and Botany Manor arrive on April 9th, while Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, which includes the base game and all its DLC, is available on April 11th.

Finally, there’s Harold Halibut on April 16th for cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S to round out Wave 1. As for the title leaving on April 15th, there’s quite a high-profile line-up, especially for those who enjoyed Frictional Games’ horror titles. Play them before they’re gone, or purchase them with Game Pass’s 20 percent discount.

• Amnesia Collection (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  
• Amnesia: Rebirth (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  
• Back 4 Blood (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  
• Phantom Abyss (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  
• Research and Destroy (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  
• Soma (Cloud, Console, and PC)

On March 20th, Supermassive Games’ The Quarry joins the service for the cloud and consoles, followed by Evil West on March 21st. March 26th sees Terra Invicta, the massive strategy title from the creators of XCOM’s Long War mod, releasing on Game Preview for PC players. Diablo 4 is perhaps the biggest release, coming to consoles and PC on March 28th.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged and Open Roads are coming on the same day and playable on cloud, consoles and PC. Finally, April 1st kicks off with the addition of Ark: Survival Ascended for cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. On April 2nd, F1 23 is playable via EA Play on the cloud while Superhot: Mind Control Delete arrives for subscribers on the cloud, consoles and PC.

The titles leaving on March 31st include Hot Wheels Unleashed and MLB The Show 23 (which makes sense considering the addition of their sequels). Infinite Guitars is also going away, though Game Pass subscribers can avail of 20 percent discounts to purchase the titles.