Greetings from GDC 2024 – every year we use this show as a way to meet tons of developers and as a convenient check in to talk about the goings on at ID@Xbox.  

2024 got off to a fast start with players this year — Xbox had its biggest month ever on console this past January, measured by play time (including ID@Xbox program member Pocket Pair, whose Xbox Game Preview title, Palworld, has more than 10,000,000 players on Xbox so far!). 

With more than 3500 titles from independent developers in more than 100 countries in active development for Xbox and Windows via the ID@Xbox program, we’re always working to help independent developers reach more players, and for players to find the best new games. Our new open pitch portal and our Indie Selects program are two ways in which we‘ve unlocked new opportunities for creators and players alike.  

Last year, we mentioned that we’d be launching an open pitch portal for members of the ID@Xbox program to pitch their games for deal consideration for Game Pass and our Developer Acceleration Program. I’m happy to say that since the portal launched in August, we’ve had hundreds of studios use the portal to submit games for consideration.

While we don’t publicly talk about our deals before they’re announced, we can say that opening up this process more transparently and publicly has been a huge step forward, to ensure the curators at Xbox across Game Pass and other programs get access to the broadest variety of games to consider, so we can keep bringing players the best selection of games on Earth. While we’re incredibly excited to meet old and new friends from development studios this week at the Game Developer’s Conference, travelling to San Francisco (or anywhere) to meet Xbox staff in person shouldn’t be a pre-requisite to get a game in consideration for a deal — and I am happy to say that it no longer is.  

Second, this January, after an enormous amount of work from our amazing marketing and store teams, we launched the Indie Selects section of the Xbox Store! This section of the store harkens back to the olden days of Xbox Live Arcade with hand-curated collections of great titles from independent developers available on Xbox. In February, we began awarding six titles a month with an Indie Selects designation / award as well. 

Although I’m not personally the biggest fan of awards – we all have our own criteria for what makes a great game – so I’m always a little uncomfortable trying to pick winners in any category, especially where there are so many great games out there. However, I also live and breathe games. One of our discovery challenges is helping folks who love games, but don’t immerse themselves in gaming news on a daily (or hourly!) basis. For them, the Indie Selects designation is a great way to help them quickly find games that are endorsed by a group of curators and staff at Xbox who vote on them each month. (I can also share that Phil Spencer volunteered to serve on the voting committee!) These are all awesome games, but of course, there are a great many awesome games that won’t have the Indie Selects designation as well.That includes most games that launch with Xbox Game Pass. The marketing efforts we’ve started with the Indie Selects program are predominantly for games that are not in Game Pass.  

Game Pass already provides an amazing discovery mechanism (if you see a game you think you might like… download it!), and our Indie Selects efforts are there to ensure that folks see the amazing breadth and depth of the whole catalog on Xbox, not just Game Pass. 

And that depth and breadth just keeps getting bigger. We now have “business hours” coverage for developers 24/7 around the world, and the team’s work is paying off, with more than 100 titles in development for Xbox consoles via the ID@Xbox Program from Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Of course, we have a lot of work to do to grow and help the developer base in these areas, and from other developers who are under-represented on Xbox wherever they are geographically. We want Xbox to be a place where everyone feels comfortable playing and developing.  

Of course that doesn’t mean every game will be for every person, and that’s where some of our most challenging, and exciting work will be in the months and years to come – enhancing discovery so that we can help players find their next favorite games, and so we can help developers of great games find their audience wherever they live around the globe. Games remain a hit driven business, but we believe in a future where every game has a reasonable shot in front of its intended audience to make a critical and commercial impact. This is crucial to our dual vision to bring players the widest and deepest array of games to play, and to enable developers to have a sustainable future creating and entertaining us for years to come. And from what we’ve seen coming, we’re incredibly optimistic about the future of games and developers on Xbox. 

This “coming soon” announcement we’re going to many different places with Game Pass, including the Old West, the open road, the other roads meant for toy themed cars, and even going to hell. That’s just a small taste of where Game Pass is taking us, so let’s dive in!

Available Today

Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) 
Available on day one with Game Pass: Start your interstellar homestead in this peaceful open-world farming adventure! Build your sustainable exofarm, grow alien crops, customize your mech, and explore a new world full of mystery with up to three friends!    

MLB The Show 24 (Cloud and Console) 
Available on day one with Game Pass: Swing for the fences, experience game-deciding moments, become a legend and live out your baseball dreams in MLB The Show 24. 

Coming Soon

The Quarry (Cloud and Console) – March 20 
When the sun goes down on the last night of summer camp, nine teenage counselors are plunged into an unpredictable night of horror. The only thing worse than the blood-drenched locals and creatures hunting them are the unimaginable choices you must make to help them survive. 

Evil West (Cloud, Console, and PC) – March 21 
A dark menace consumes the Old West. In solo or co-op, fight with style in visceral, explosive combat against bloodthirsty monstrosities. Eradicate the vampiric hordes with your lightning-fueled gauntlet and become a Wild West Superhero. 

Terra Invicta (Game Preview) (PC) – March 26 
From the creators of Long War, an alien invasion has fractured humanity into seven ideological factions each with a unique vision for the future. Lead your chosen faction to take control of Earth’s nations, expand across the Solar System, and battle enemy fleets in tactical combat. 

Diablo IV (Console and PC) – March 28 
The next-gen action RPG experience is coming to Game Pass with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Experience a gripping story or jump straight into Season of the Construct to unearth a new threat looming deep beneath the sands of Kehjistan. 

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged (Cloud, Console, and PC) – March 28 
Get behind the wheel of the coolest cars and vehicles from the Hot Wheels universe, including the new ATVs and motorcycles. Explore 5 new stunning environments and race the way you want with new mechanics in exciting challenges and crazy game modes! 

Open Roads (Cloud, Console, and PC) – March 28 
Available on day one with Game Pass: Long-lost family secrets. Hints of a hidden fortune. And miles to go before they sleep. Tess Devine’s relationship with her mom has never been easy, but they’re about to set out together on a journey into the past that they’ll never forget. 

Ark: Survival Ascended (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X|S) – April 1 
Respawn into a new dinosaur survival experience as Ark is reimagined from the ground-up into the next-generation with Unreal Engine 5! Are you ready to form a tribe, tame and breed hundreds of species of dinosaurs and other primeval creatures, explore, craft, build, and fight your way to the top of the food-chain? Your new world awaits! 

F1 23 (Cloud) EA Play – April 2 
EA Sports’ F1 23 will be available with Xbox Cloud Gaming via EA Play. Test your driving talents, create your dream team, and be the last to brake in the official video game of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship.   

Superhot: Mind Control Delete (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 2  
Making a return to the Game Pass library! Time moves only when you move. Superhot: Mind Control Delete gives you more insight into the signature power fantasy world of Superhot with more story, more signature gameplay, more action, more guns. Keep dancing the slow-motion ballet of destruction for so much longer than ever before.   

In Case You Missed It

NBA 2K24 (Cloud and Console) – Available now 
Strive for greatness with NBA 2K24 – experience a collection of competitive game modes and immerse yourself in a sports simulation unlike any other. NBA 2K24 boasts a variety of exciting game modes, now available for all Ultimate Game Pass Subscribers. We’ll see you on the court! 

DLC / Game Updates

Fallout 76: America’s Playground – March 26 
Experience a new Fallout story set in the fading glitz and glam of Atlantic City. In this intrepid return visit to New Jersey, players will work together with competing local factions to take on a new threat lying in wait deep within the New Jersey Pine Barrens.   

The Elder Scrolls Online: Scions of Ithelia DLC – March 26 
A challenging new dungeon crawling adventure awaits in the Scions of Ithelia DLC. Do you have what it takes to emerge victorious? Conquer both dungeons to unlock unique rewards, including new item sets, collectibles, achievements, and more. Game Pass members can save 10% on their purchase of Crowns to use towards the Scions of Ithelia DLC in the Crown Store. 

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks

Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass – Available now 
Dive deeper into the world of Persona 3 Reload with this expansion pass featuring upcoming content including new costumes, background music, and extended story content. Play this role-playing turn based content in the expansion pass Episode Aigis -The Answer-, offering over 30 hours of additional gameplay in this reimagining of the genre-defining RPG! This Perk content requires Persona 3 Reload to use, available now with Game Pass Ultimate. 

Super Animal Royale Spring Perks Pack – Available now 
Take your animal apparel to the next level with the Super Animal Royale – Spring Perks Pack. Claw your way to the top of the food chain in style with this exclusive set of cosmetics in this 64-player, top-down 2D battle royale. This Perk content requires Super Animal Royale, available free-to-play. 

Smite Netherbeasts Perk – Available now 
Play the all new Netherbeasts Event in the popular action MOBA, Smite. Unlock the Gods, Voice Packs, Emotes for: Chaac, Cernunnos, and Cerberus. Plus enjoy a 3 Day Account Booster! This Perk content requires Smite to use, available free-to-play. 

Leaving March 31

The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon, be sure to show them some love before they go or consider using your 20% membership discount on your purchase to keep them in your library! 

• Hot Wheels Unleashed (Cloud, Console, and PC) 
• Infinite Guitars (Cloud, Console, and PC) 
• MLB The Show 23 (Cloud and Console) 

Time for me to decide what my next Diablo IV build will be (spoiler alert it is probably going to be another necromancer). Let us know what you’re pushing the leaderboards with over at @Xbox,  @XboxGamePass or @XboxGamePassPC. See you next time!