Xbox Game Pass to Include All First-Party Exclusives Going Forward

All First-Party Exclusives Will be Included, Starting With Sea of Thieves

This isn't a gimmick; Microsoft is going all-in. From this point forward, every single first-party Xbox One exclusive is going to be included in your Game Pass subscription. Sea of Thieves is one of the most anticipated launches of the year for Xbox gamers, and that will be the first exclusive included in this new initiative. Microsoft confirmed as much in this morning's release, saying:

"Moving forward, we plan to release all new Xbox One exclusive games from Microsoft Studios into Xbox Game Pass on the same date as their global release. This means that when Sea of Thieves launches on March 20, it will be included in Xbox Game Pass to all members."

As far as we know, this games will stay with you permanently, as long as you have your Game Pass subscription active. Third-party games rotate in and out of the service, but first-party games, as far as we understand, are there to stay.

Microsoft Has Confirmed Future Halo, Gears, and Forza Games Will Hit the Service

Sea of Thieves is just the beginning. Microsoft is going for the kill here, and if you hold on to your Game Pass subscription, you're going to get to play every single major Xbox exclusive as soon as it launches for no additional charge. Microsoft also confirmed this in this morning's release, saying:

"This plan to bring new games timed with their global release into Xbox Game Pass not only includes announced titles like Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3 but future unannounced games from Microsoft Studios including new iterations of our biggest Xbox One exclusive franchises such as Halo, Forza and Gears of War, on the same day they launch."

Subscribe, and you're done! It almost sounds too good to be true. Instead of decided which games you'll want to save up for throughout the year, and figuring out where you'll order from, just dish out for a monthly Xbox Game Pass sub and relax knowing that you're going to get every first-party game downloaded directly to your console as soon as it launches. How sweet is that?!

New Game Pass Subscription Models Are Rolling Out

Don't feel like adding another recurring subscription to your growing list? With Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and the rest, it can be a little overwhelming keeping track of every company slipping money out of your account each month. Paying $9.99 a month for Game Pass sounds incredibly reasonable to us, but if you don't want to do that, Microsoft will offer more options soon. Here's what they had to say:

"As part of today's library expansion, we are also pleased to announce that we are working closely with our retail partners, such as GameStop, to offer a 6-month Xbox Game Pass subscription card for those fans who look for a variety of ways to purchase and enjoy new games and services. The 6-month Xbox Game Pass subscription card will be available at select retail partners for $59.99 beginning March 20."

Now there's only one question left: Is this expansion enough to finally get you to subscribe to Game Pass? Is it enough to actually convince you to buy an Xbox One? Weigh in on the poll below and let's get a head count!

Is this enough to convert you?

This seems like a pretty good deal, right? On paper, it's almost too good to be true. For the price of a Netflix subscription, you could have every single new Xbox One exclusive beamed straight to your console on launch day. You'll never miss a major Xbox release again, and who doesn't have $10 to spare on a monthly basis? Cut out coffee for a couple of days and there's your new Halo.

We'll keep you guys up to date as Microsoft tells us more leading up to launch. Sea of Thieves doesn't launch until mid-March, so there's still time for more announcements! Stay tuned.