Update: In a post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft has confirmed that Outriders is indeed coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one. The game will also be playable on Android phones and tablets via Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. You can read our original story below.
Microsoft has teased that Square Enix’s Outriders could be coming to Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
The Xbox Game Pass Twitter account shared one of its familiar spoof emails from Melissa McGamepass, which often reveal when a marquee title is coming to Microsoft’s subscription service.
In the past, fans have determined that Doom Eternal and Control were heading to Xbox Game Pass with some rather simple detective work, and this time the consensus is that Outriders could be the next game on the way.
There's probably a hint about a game in here somewhere honestly we can't even keep up with all the announcements lately pic.twitter.com/Qz6LmX1Cs4March 12, 2021
The last line in the email from McGamepass (who, to be clear, doesn’t actually exist) says: “Has anyone noticed a mysterious signal appearing in the distance lately or am I the anomaly in this situation?” This has led many to speculate that Outriders, which releases on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia on April 1, as the game’s story revolves around searching for the source of a mysterious signal.
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If that wasn’t enough, the Outriders demo (which you can download now) includes a mission that has players escaping an 'anomaly'.
Play on, player
Microsoft recently added 20 Bethesda games to Xbox Game Pass to celebrate it’s multi-billion dollar acquisition of its parent company, ZeniMax Media. If Outriders does indeed make its way to Xbox Game Pass, it will be another boon to a service that some consider to be the best deal in gaming.
The move could also help Outriders’ long term future immensely. The co-operative, looter shooter space can be extremely difficult to break into, especially as Outriders is going up against the likes of Destiny 2, Borderlands 3 and The Division 2, all of which have established and dedicated player bases. If Outriders is on Xbox Game Pass, the game can reach a massive audience from day one, which is crucial for online multiplayer titles.
Microsoft announced that there were over 18 million Game Pass subscribers in January, 2021. We’d imagine that number has only grown since then, particularly now that Bethesda’s future releases are guaranteed to launch on Game Pass on day one.
