October was one of the biggest months in Xbox Game Pass‘ recent history. While some great Indie titles like Sifu and Inscryption were added to the service last month, it was Call of Duty: Black Ops 6‘s day-one launch that really cemented October 2024 as one of Game Pass’ best. According to Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 “set a record” for new Game Pass subscribers on launch day.
Naturally, it’s going to be quite difficult for Xbox Game Pass to replicate Call of Duty: Black Ops 6‘s success anytime soon, and unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though Xbox is even trying to this November. According to the subscription service’s recent marketing, Xbox Game Pass has a fairly strong November line-up already sorted, with 10 games confirmed to be coming during its first wave. But that’s not quite the whole truth.
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Xbox Game Pass’ November 2024 Line-Up Has Had Some Strange Marketing
Xbox Game Pass’ November 2024 Graphic Feels Misleading
Just a few days ago, Xbox Game Pass confirmed its November wave 1 line-up by releasing a graphic that showed a total of seven titles. These seven titles included day-one launches like Goat Simulator: Remastered and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, along with a handful of Indie titles like Turnip Boy Robs a Bank and Harold Halibut. But keen-eyed fans might notice something strange about this graphic.
Below each game’s image, it states what platforms they’ll be available on and, more importantly, what tier of Xbox Game Pass they’ll be coming to. Many will quickly realize that four of the listed games are coming to Xbox Game Pass Standard, and just three are being added to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
For those who missed the recent, confusing shake-ups, Xbox Game Pass Standard is a lower-priced tier that still gives players access to a large library of Game Pass titles, but doesn’t give them new games on day one, nor does it give them new titles as soon as they release on Game Pass Ultimate.
This means that the four games listed on Game Pass’ November wave 1 graphic (Harold Halibut, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, Go Mecha Ball, and The Rewinder) have all been available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for months but are now coming to Xbox Game Pass Standard. This also means that just three of the games shown in the graphic are brand-new additions to Xbox Game Pass, those being Goat Simulator: Remastered, Flight Simulator 2024, and Metal Slug Tactics.
It’s hard not to feel as though this graphic is a little misleading. While just three new games are coming to Xbox Game Pass in its first November wave, seven have been shown here, giving the illusion that the month is much busier than it actually is.
Xbox Game Pass’ Standard Tier Can’t Take Precedence
Xbox Game Pass’ November wave 1 graphic is a strange, potentially even misleading piece of marketing, but there could be a much bigger problem on the horizon. When looking at the rest of Xbox Game Pass’ November line-up, 10 games have been confirmed to hit the service between November 1 and November 19, which is considered the end of wave 1. Of those 10 titles, five are Game Pass Standard additions that are already available on Game Pass Ultimate.
This means that only 5 new games will have come to Xbox Game Pass in its first wave of the month. This is significantly lower than previous months’ offerings, with October offering 8 new titles in its first wave, September and August offering 7, and July offering an impressive 11.
While it’s important not to jump the gun and assume this month’s line-up is setting a new precedent for Xbox Game Pass moving forward, it’s still a possibility and one that needs to be addressed. Xbox shouldn’t mask Game Pass’ lack of new additions by presenting Game Pass Standard titles as new games when that isn’t really the case for many subscribers. And more importantly, Xbox shouldn’t reduce its Ultimate tier additions in favor of simply adding more to Game Pass Standard.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.