Game Pass has changed the way we’ll be able to measure the success of Xbox exclusives
Over the last couple of days we’ve seen numerous reports regarding the successful launch of Sea of Thieves. The Xbox One/Windows 10 exclusive was the #2 title according to NPD, and was the eighth highest grossing title on consoles.
However, a recent report from Superdata suggests that over half of the two million monthly active users for Sea of Thieves in March came from the free trial for Xbox Game Pass. The free trial which Microsoft rolled out just ahead of the release gave the game an artificial boost at launch.
Following release, the game saw a ton of backlash from players and critics. Citing a general lack of content and things to do in the game, Sea of Thieves saw its hype dwindle fairly quickly. With Microsoft giving players the opportunity to try the game through Xbox Game Pass, it’s unclear just how much of a success Sea of Thieves actually was at launch, and what kind of future the game has.
Rare has revealed its plans going forward, and they’ve come right out and addressed fan concerns. They’ve recently revealed a road map for the game in which they claim a lot more content is coming to the game.
Starting in May, the developer will be rolling out different updates that will be free for Sea of Thieves owners that add different world events, ships to earn, weekly events, trading companies and other content that should bolster the offering.
Microsoft recently announced that another Xbox exclusive will be heading to Game Pass on day one. State of Decay 2 will be part of the service when it launches on May 22nd, but this time around it’s unclear whether another free trial for the service will exist for players to take advantage of. Xbox Game Pass has been deemed a good value by those who try it. The service is relatively cheap and allows interested parties to join for as little as $1 with a recurring charge of $9.99 monthly thereafter.
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