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Microsoft has offered Game Pass for years as a monthly subscription with popular games, accessible via PC, Xbox, and even cloud streaming. However, Microsoft is now changing the formula with the release of hifi fever.
Microsoft held an “Xbox & Bethesda Developer_Direct” event yesterday, showcasing games in development from Microsoft-owned studios, such as minecraft legends from Mojang studios and red drop by Arkane Austin. There was also a surprise game that hadn’t been previously revealed or discussed: hifi fever. It is a rhythm and action game, where the environment, other characters and your own attacks are synchronized to the rhythm of the music. I played the first hour last night and I’m definitely having fun.
Setting the game aside for a moment, what’s interesting is how Microsoft, which owns ZeniMax, which owns developer Tango Gameworks, handled the game’s release. it’s not common absolutely for a game from a major developer to be announced and released on the same day. The initial announcement usually happens months, if not years, before a game is available. Sometime before launch, the publisher starts taking pre-orders, which can help development cross the finish line.
However, subscription services like Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra are changing that strategy. Microsoft has already been adding its new games to Game Pass the same day they’re released, but that was still months after a given game was first revealed, possibly after much of the initial excitement. hifi fever it’s available to buy normally on PC and Xbox, but the release is clearly positioned to help push Game Pass forward. If you were already paying for Game Pass, you found out about a great new game and were able to play it almost immediately after at no additional cost. It’s a very different way of learning and enjoying games than most of us are used to.
The experiment appears to have been a success, at least from the outside. hifi fever was trending on social media platforms like Twitter for hours, as discussions of the game’s announcement evolved to sharing screenshots and recordings of the game itself. There are also over 30,000 people watching the game on Twitch as I write this, which is not bad for a game that nobody knew about until yesterday.
Could this be the start of a new trend in gaming? We’ll have to wait and see.
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