Subscription based services make me rage...I know we use them with things like Netflix and Prime etc but the whole "oh, you were almost at the end of that one? Lemme remove it forever from the library without warning" aspect is what bothers me the most and Game Pass is no exception. In my view, the way Steam does things is far better - I get the value of Game Pass if you're someone who plays a huge variety of titles and doesn't want to fork out for each and every one on the off-chance that you won't hate them and lose money...but as someone who doesn't play a lot of titles and neither do my kids, it's a lot of money to hurl at Mr. Megabucks each month. The fact that on PC games like Roblox and Fortnite can be played online with others at no extra cost is a win for parents like me. Long-suffering parents like me, I might add - Roblox is a car-crash of mediocrity and vomit-inducing graphics. When Jake gets his Xbox, we will have to pay extra just so he can play free games with his friends; this to me is not acceptable. And I know we've had Gold forever which is what lets you play online and all, but in this day and age it almost seems archaic to charge for it.
I also won't ever believe a word of anything Microsoft says about leaving studios to just do what they do, if they indeed ever make such statements in the future. They mostly ruined Rare and they outright killed Lionhead. I don't care if there were losses of profits, those two studios were better when they were left the hell alone. Won't forgive them for that.
Having said all that, IF collaborations can be made and Microsoft remain a silent, fabulously wealthy benefactor then hopefully we can see some epic titles coming out in the not so distant future. I do like the idea that Bethesda titles will be on Game Pass on day of release but Elder Scrolls 6 will be a physical copy buy for me regardless because unless Microsoft do something unbelievably hideous, that game will be my instant GOTY no matter what.
