Microsoft Just Made An Xbox Game Pass Promise To Give Sony Sleepless Nights

You've probably already noticed this, but Microsoft has been on something of a buying spree in recent years. It seems like every few months Microsoft was announcing some big new acquisition, culminating with the purchase of ZeniMax Media and its subsidiaries – which include big-name developers and publishers like Bethesda, id Software, MachineGames, and Arkane Studios, among others – for $7.5 billion earlier this year.

Obviously, Microsoft bought all of those companies to make exclusive games for its consoles and for Xbox Game Pass, with Microsoft boss Phil Spencer even recently saying that the ZeniMax Media acquisition was primarily "about delivering great exclusive games for you that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists." Today, however, we're getting a clearer picture of the kind of schedule Microsoft is planning for its first-party releases.

In a post to Xbox Wire today, Microsoft revealed that its goal to is to release a new first-party game to Xbox Game Pass each quarter. "With more than 23 studios worldwide creating games for Xbox, our goal is to release at least one new, first party game into Game Pass every quarter," Microsoft said. "Role playing games, shooters, strategy titles, adventure games, and more are all being built by our first party teams to ensure that there is a steady stream of compelling exclusive content to explore."

That is a lofty goal, and one that Microsoft obviously hasn't hit yet. The first six months of Xbox Series X availability have been rather quiet, but there's a good chance that could change soon. Microsoft, after all, is hosting one of the biggest shows at E3 2021 in just a few days, and it's there that we're expecting to see a lot of new game reveals.

So, in just a few days' time, we could see this plan to release a new first-party game every three months start to come together. We'll be covering the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase as it happens, so be sure to check back with us on Sunday for all you need to know from the show.