Xbox gamers got their first big announcement of the year today. Xbox Game Pass service has extended to include all upcoming exclusives in the catalogue, on the same day as their global release.

While announcing the plans for the service, Microsoft has confirmed that gamers can expect to play “unannounced games from Microsoft Studios including new iterations of our biggest Xbox One exclusive franchises such as Halo, Forza and Gears of War, on the same day they launch”. It is hardly surprising news to anyone as Microsoft doesn’t own a lot of studios and IPs currently, so it’s not difficult to double down on what to expect. But it’s always good to hear an official confirmation.

Interestingly, Microsoft’s confirmation does make it sound like the sequels are not that far off. Considering all the criticism that has been going on regarding Xbox One’s dearth of first-party exclusives, Microsoft may be looking to answer that call with few more exclusives for fall 2018. Forza is an annual franchise for the past few years, this year will play host to 2016’s sequel to Forza Horizon 3. It now remains to be seen which of the two remaining Microsoft has planned to show first.

E3 2018 is the place to look out for such announcements. We’re certainly excited to see the next chapter in these franchises.

Author: Jawwad Iqbal

Having written on tech for years now, Jawwad Iqbal took his passion for sharing news and opinions with the inception of Hardware Blitz. He holds a firm view that quality content drives long-term success.