Microsoft made the announcement on Xbox Wire, with more information on how the partnership will work:
This library update will add over 60 new games to Game Pass, including EA's hit series like Battlefield, FIFA, and Mass Effect.
As the console wars between Xbox Series X and PS5 brew in the distance, Microsoft is betting on one strategy:pure value for money. To do this, the company wants to populate its Xbox Game Pass library with as many games as possible.
Although Microsoft can achieve this by creating new studios, this is a very expensive and time-consuming process with no guarantee of success. This is why the company focuses instead on successful businesses that have already been established.
To engage a business, Microsoft takes one of two approaches. The first is what we see with the blog post above, Microsoft reaching a deal with another studio to license a library of games on Xbox Game Pass.
The other strategy is to buy a studio by Microsoft. This tends to be very expensive, but Microsoft can guarantee that the studio's past, present, and future libraries will all appear on Game Pass. We saw this tactic in action when Microsoft bought Bethesda for $7.5 billion.
Whichever path Microsoft takes, it leads to the same result:more value for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. This, in turn, provides more incentive to buy a new Xbox console and Game Pass to go with it.
As the 2020 holiday season approaches and the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 prepare to release, Microsoft is showing its hand by creating an Xbox Game Pass that offers true value for money. We'll have to wait and see if Microsoft's offerings are enough for them to rival, if not surpass, PlayStation.
That's not to say the Game Pass isn't great value right now. In fact, there are plenty of great games to play on Xbox Game Pass that you don't need to wait until November.
