“First and foremost, we are committed to building a diverse collection of studios that deliver a predictable pipeline of high-quality games,” Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios said as a part of a Gaming at Microsoft presentation. “We're committed to creating games that generate excitement, anticipation, and engagement with our fans.”

And with 23 first-party studios under the Xbox Game Studios banner, all games currently in development across this diverse group -- which includes Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Playground Games, 343 Industries, Double Fine Studios, Obsidian Entertainment, and more -- will also be hitting Xbox Game Pass day and date of their respective launches.

This of course isn’t exactly news, Microsoft’s shift to Game Pass has been mostly a seamless and, well, exciting one. It hasn’t affected the number of exclusives hitting its platforms, nor has it affected the quality and types of games we’ve seen. In fact, the opposite is true. An Xbox Game Pass subscription is basically worth its weight in all the digital gold out there -- with access to games both new and old across a vast library for not all that much money.

So yeah, 23 first-party studios. That’s a lot. And with the recent additions of Bethesda, Microsoft is looking to launch one new first-party game into Xbox Game Pass (and retail) every three months. That is at least one each and every quarter.


“We know that a thriving entertainment service needs a consistent and exciting flow of new content,” Matt Booty said. “So our portfolio will continue to grow as our service grows.”

“All of our studios are really creator-led” Matt Booty added, re-confirming that the types of games and diversity of creativity won’t be affected for studios that seek some shelter or shade under the Xbox Game Studios banner. “We want to give them the proper degree of autonomy so they can pursue their creative passion and make the games they are good at making. We're in the entertainment business, and I believe the best thing we can do is to provide the guidance, the resources, and the support to our studios so they can make the best entertainment.”