Xbox Game Passhas had a bit of an odd year so far. Coming out of the gate fairly strong, Xbox Game Pass saw a handful ofPersonagames get added to the service in January, and since then, it’s had at least one heavy-hitter every month, withRTSgamessuch asMount and Blade 2andAge of Empires 2, as well asGhostwire: Tokyobeing some of the highlights so far. But aside from those, Xbox Game Pass' monthly offerings have been a little underwhelming, and that’s more noticeable now than ever before.
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Redfalldid not receive the critical reception Xbox was betting on, and a few weeks from its release date, all eyes are very much still on Xbox. More than ever, Xbox really needs to deliver some high-quality experiences soon, and through interviews like the one withPhil Spencer on Kinda Funny’s Xcast, it seems like the team at Xbox knows this better than anyone. One more wrong move likeRedfalland the Xbox brand could be seriously harmed. Therefore, it’s no wonder that Xbox Game Pass is currently lying low.
Xbox Game Pass' upcoming slate for May is quite underwhelming. Currently, the rest of May on Xbox Game Pass sees just another handful of games come to the service, with the only standouts beingFIFA 23on May 16,Amnesia: The Bunkeron May 23, and finallyFarworld Pioneersrounding out the month on May 30. While there are a few more titles sprinkled in between, they’re all relatively unknown. And whileXbox Game Pass' line-up for June 2023hasn’t been revealed just yet, it’ll likely follow a similar pattern.
But while Xbox Game Pass' upcoming slate might not be the most exciting, it’s probably in the service’s best interest. Just a few weeks ago,Star Wars Jedi: Survivorwas released to both a great critical and fan reception, and its sales were higher than some expected.Jedi: Survivor’s release managed to take quite a bit of heat away fromRedfall’s shaky launch, especially as it had its own set of technical controversies.
Just last week,Hogwarts Legacywas released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and it’s once again pushed its way to the top of the sales charts. Now, with the launch ofZelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the gaming public has its next point of discussion for at least the rest of the month.
Right now, there’s really nothing that Xbox Game Pass could offer that would put it in the spotlight, so it’s honestly better for the service to just lie low for a little while. This not only helps Game Pass distance itself fromRedfall, but also lets it take a breather whileTears of the Kingdomtakes the spotlight. In this downtime, Xbox can retreat, regroup, and come up with a bold strategy for the rest of the year, preferably one that doesn’t rely solely on Bethesda’sStarfield, as no matter how good the game ends up being, it isn’t enough to sellXbox Game Passforever.
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