When Phil Spencer first announced Xbox Game Pass many gamers were cautiously optimistic. A paid subscription service that allowed players access to over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games, the self-described "Netflix for Video Games," seemed almost too good to be true. But as time went on the service proved its worth, giving gamers access to games they actually wanted to play, not just whatever Microsoft could scrape off the bottom of the barrel. Now it seems the team at Xbox is looking to keep the good vibes flowing with a new batch of games including Rise of The Tomb Raider.
The announcement comes courtesy of Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb. In a tweet earlier today Hryb teased the newest additions to the Xbox Game Pass line-up, saying the titles would be announced later in the week. The tweet was accompanied by an image featuring a stack of Xbox One games, with only one case, that of Rise of The Tomb Raider, turned around to see.
Despite being over two years old, the 2015 sequel proved to be a successful timed-exclusive for Xbox, earning much acclaim from fans and critics alike. It's also worth mentioning that with another Tomb Raider installment, rumored to bear the title Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, on the way, Xbox might be looking to renew interest in the franchise ahead of a possible announcement.
All of this comes only a month after Xbox announced that Game Pass subscribers would have access to all future first-party exclusives the day they launch worldwide, meaning gamers who paid for the service never have to pay full price for games like Sea Of Thieves, Crackdown 3, and State of Decay 2. The service currently costs $9.99 per month, with these games and many others available to download and play as soon as they're added to the library.
Now it seems the only hurdle facing the service's success is Microsoft's exclusive line-up. While franchises like Halo and Gears of War keep fans coming back for more, Xbox has often struggled to keep pace with PlayStation's ever gowning exclusive slate, featuring games like Last of Us, Uncharted, Infamous, as well as an incoming Spider-Man game. Luckily Xbox seems intent on fixing this, with hype growing for games like Sea Of Thieves every day.
Assuming a successful first-party line-up, the addition of more popular older games like Rise Of The Tomb Raider, as well as more Xbox 360 and original Xbox games becoming available courtesy of backward compatibility, Game Pass could become everything Microsoft and Xbox hoped it would be. All fans can do now is wait.