Microsoft’s Jeremy Hinton: Xbox Game Pass aims to lower PC gaming barrier in SEA
The Xbox PC Game Pass was released in the Philippines, along with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, just last April 21, and gamers all throughout the country were ecstatic about the news. The PC Game pass is basically a subscription service where users can access a huge game library that features a lot of variety.
Esports Inquirer had the opportunity to talk to Jeremy Hinton, Microsoft’s Xbox Asia Business Lead, about the PC Game Pass. Here’s what we learned.
Easy Access, Easy Gaming For Everyone
According to Hinton, Microsoft hopes to lower the barrier of entry through the PC Game Pass when it comes to gaming.
“As part of our mission the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet, we’re really excited to announce [PC game pass] broadly available in the Philippines,” he said. “We really try to have a wide variety of PC games across genres. We add new games every month, Hopefully, we’re delivering something for everyone,” Hinton stated.
He backed this up with a statement basically saying players don’t need to worry about expensive game prices as the pass allows for their users to access titles they wouldn’t have otherwise gotten into.
Having been around since 2017, the Game Pass includes some of the biggest video game titles in Minecraft, Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires IV, Sea of Thieves, Halo Infinite, and many more. Microsoft’s recent expansion into the Southeast Asian market came after years of refinement of the service.
Hinton explained that they focused on growing their game catalog and improving the overall experience of the Game Pass itself before they expanded to Southeast Asia.
“The PC Gamepass is only a few years old. We know players in Southeast Asia have been requesting better access to Microsoft products for a number of years now,” Hinton revealed.
Present anywhere, anyhow you play
When you say Xbox, one usually pictures Microsoft’s console line and not their subscription service. From the original Xbox, Xbox 360, to Xbox One, their consoles were loved by gamers, especially thanks to their exclusive titles such as the Halo franchise, Forza, and Gears of War. However, with the PC Game Pass, Hinton stated that they wanted to allow people to be able to play on whichever platform they wished to.
“We’re building experiences that are exclusive to the Microsoft ecosystem. We ultimately want to be where people choose to play,” he claimed.
Moreover, they are also looking into the possibility of tapping into local Filipino indie game developers to feature in the game pass.
“A key focus for us is to grow our relationship with developers through Southeast Asia.”
Hinton added that this can be done through their Xbox and Microsoft platforms while enabling pathways through the game pass.
Meanwhile, when asked about what the Xb0x PC Game Pass entailed for esports, Hinton hoped that the low barrier of entry to PC gaming would cultivate more competitive multiplayer experiences. With the Halo and Forza franchises included in the game pass, the ticket to esports has never been cheaper than ever before.
“It definitely lowers the barrier to entry, brings people in, and enables more people to play.”
The Xbox PC Game Pass regular monthly subscription costs PHP 119/month but users can also opt for their limited introductory price of PHP 49 for a three-month subscription.
For further information on PC Game Pass in the Philippines, visit: https://www.microsoft.com/store/productid/9pldpg46g47z
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