Gears 5 is Xbox Game Pass’ biggest hit – report
Gears 5 appears to have been the hit Microsoft needed to boost Xbox Game Pass subscriptions.
Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad has revealed that Gears 5 is Xbox Game Pass’ first “mega hit”, noting that it surpassed Forza Horizon 4.
Offers such as $1 monthly trials, and the fact all of Microsoft’s first-party output is available on the service – not to mention the impressive third-party catalogue – all contributed to this success. Ahmad pointed this out on Twitter, adding that it’s all part of Microsoft’s goal of making games more accessible.
Gears 5 is the first mega hit on Gamepass.
Competitive pricing and recent offers, a large library of games and access to MS 1st party has led to a high number of sign ups.
MS will be hoping a lot of users stick to the service going forward.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) September 11, 2019
Indeed, those who keep up with the Most Played list on Xbox Live can see that Gears 5 has claimed the top spot from Fortnite, which has been the de facto leader for a year.
Twitter user @klobrille pointed out that Gears 5’s lead was clear across many regions, including US, UK, Mexico and Germany.
Gears 5 debuts as the #1 most played game on the Xbox Store (only checked US, Mexico, UK, Germany), even beating Fortnite. What is even more impressive is that this is the Ultimate Edition of Gears 5. Game Pass doing work. https://t.co/vqnWKEE5rf pic.twitter.com/Ljd7iY0LNe
— Klobrille (@klobrille) September 11, 2019
This is the Ultimate Edition, too, which either means so many people bought the $80 version – or the more likely scenario, many just subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate. It’s cause for celebration for Microsoft, and good news for those who can’t afford to pay $60+ to keep with AAA games.
