Last weekend, the international gaming community tuned in to the Xbox and Bethesda Games E3 Showcase, a 90-minute show that unveiled the latest from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and the Xbox partners from around the world.
An Xbox logo-turned dial swiveled and the clock counted down during the opening hype piece to kick off Xbox’s entire E3 livestream. Ayzenberg Group, Xbox’s longtime creative partner and social agency of record, produced the animated video that set the tone for the entire show.
“It’s an honor to open the show because there’s so much anticipation and excitement in the air. This year to celebrate Xbox’s 20th anniversary and the year we’ve all been through—our inspiration was to look back over the past 20 years of exciting E3 fan-driven moments to remind everyone of where we’ve been and to be able to look forward to a near-future when we can all be together again to celebrate the love of gaming,” said Gary Goodman, chief creative officer, Ayzenberg Group.
Xbox delivered on that hype, announcing 30 new games, 27 of which will be launching on Xbox Game Pass day one later this year and next. There are 11 new games available today, including Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Arx Fatalis and Fallout, among others.
Back-to-back monthly releases for Xbox Game Pass, a packed holiday line-up and two exclusive Bethesda games coming in 2022 are part of Xbox’s larger commitment to deliver the “most diverse video game line-up in the world,” according to a recap of the E3 showcase on the company’s blog, Xbox Wire.
Xbox’s subscription has become a popular discovery engine since launching in summer 2017. Citing recent research, Xbox reports that members of Xbox Game Pass play 30 percent more genres and 40 percent more games. Additionally, 90 percent of members said they played a game that they wouldn’t have tried without Game Pass plus members spend 50 percent more than non-members.
As Xbox celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, the company is exploring new subscription offerings and developing ways to bring Xbox Game Pass to more screens. For one, it’s working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into internet-connected televisions without requiring any extra hardware except a controller.
Some other ways Xbox is making Game Pass more accessible include the creation of new purchasing models like Xbox All Access to enable consumers to buy a console and Game Pass for a low monthly fee; building its own streaming devices for cloud gaming to reach gamers on any television or monitor without the need for a console; and later this year, the addition of cloud gaming directly into the Xbox app on PC and integration with the Xbox console experience.
