Update: Microsoft Australia has confirmed the subscription will cost $10.95 AUD per month in Australia.
Microsoft Australia also confirmed that the service will only be available on Xbox One, not PC as it had previously advised. We have updated the story accordingly.
Original story: Microsoft today unveiled the Xbox Game Pass, an EA Access-like subscription service that offers access to over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles, playable on Xbox One.
The service, priced at $9.99 USD per month, provides unlimited access to any game available in the Game Pass catalogue. While gamers can download as many games as they’d like at any one time, they’re basically rentals — if your subscription expires, so does your access to those specific titles.
There’s an opportunity to buy games in the catalogue at a discounted rate — those with a subscription will benefit from a 20% discount on Xbox One game purchases, and 10% off related add-ons, including DLC and Season Passes.
Publishers taking part in the venture include 2K, 505 Games, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Focus Home Interactive, SEGA, SNK Corporation, THQ Nordic, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft Studios itself.
Moreover, confirmed games in the program include Halo 5: Guardians, Saints Row IV: Re-elected, Fable III, Mad Max, Payday 2, NBA 2K16 and SoulCalibur II.
“We hope you enjoy Xbox Game Pass and all that it has to offer,” Xbox head Phil Spencer said of the scheme. “We’re looking forward to hearing the feedback from the gamers in the Xbox Insider Program and then from the rest of the Xbox community when it’s broadly available later this spring. Your feedback will make this program better for all gamers.”
In the six hours following Microsoft’s announcement, retailer GameStop’s stock price has already fallen 9.35% (at the time of writing).
Xbox Game Pass is scheduled for this fall in Australia and will be available on both Xbox One.
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