Xbox Game Pass is pretty hard to resist, right? A monthly subscription brings you tons of titles that you can download and play whenever you want - as long as they stay on the surface. And with Microsoft acquiring companies like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, the prospect of those games becoming exclusive to the system as well as being on Game Pass, it's one heck of a sales pitch.
With Activision in particular, the Call of Duty publishers and their new owners in the Big X (doesn't sound as good, does it?), they're adamant they still want their titles to release on the Switch. It totally makes sense, with IPs like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater all being big hitters alongside the FPS giant. But having those on Game Pass, too? That's the real draw, especially as Sony has now announced an overhauled subscription service.
Following Sony's big reveal last week, we put each of the big three's subscription services up against each other. They're all pretty different and offer different things, so you should have a peek:
Anyway, back to blue-sky thinking for Game Pass. A poll conducted by YouGov earlier this year has revealed that nearly 50% of US PlayStation and Switch owners would consider Game Pass if any Activision franchise was included in the subscription service. That number is slightly lower in the UK, where just under 30% of Switch and PlayStation gamers would consider the same. That's still almost a third of the market, which isn't unsubstantial given that there hasn't been a new Call of Duty game on Nintendo hardware since Ghosts. That's nearly ten years ago!
You don't need an Xbox console to get Game Pass, so don't worry about forking out for a new console if you're interested. You can get the subscription service on your PC or some Android devices, or stream them via Xbox's Cloud Gaming service. The idea of trying out brand new titles and AAA releases as soon as they come out on a subscription service would be a big draw for many.
Have you got Game Pass? What would tempt you to sign up for the service if you haven't? And do you think Nintendo should do something similar? Let us know.
[source business.yougov.com, via videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 74
Sounds like 100% astroturfing.
No. Nothing. No. In that order.
had to read this headline a few times
I don't need and don't care with Game Pass.
I don't like AAA games.
I hate rated M shooter games.
I just want new Barbie games in physical release by Activision. Girlie games forever.
This article reads like an advertisement for game pass.
The CoD games would be perfect for me on Game Pass. I am always like 5 years behind as to play the campaign it feels like £5 to £10 worth of the game’s total value; so I wait for second hand copies at CEX to drop to that price.
Of course I’d need to buy an Xbox first and I returned my Series S after 1 month due to repeated game crashes and Microsoft only offering me a refurb to replace it. Went for total refund at store in the end.
Can’t see the harm if Xbox game pass was available on Nintendo Switch through cloud of course.
You either pay the subscription and play or don’t and don’t play.
Surely more options for gamers and their relevant console of choice the better it is.
Activision? I'm good thanks.
Is this an advertorial for activision?
How odd that not a single person on the comments so far agrees.
Except for @Anti-Matter, sounds like they love Activision.
@Anti-Matter Well, there always are the T-rated shooters. (Overwatch) Or the TCG Hearthstone
I thought switch gamers hates EA and Activision. Shameful.
@sixrings Nah, I just hate Epic Games. I strongly dislike EA and I really don't hate Activision, except how the handled Blizzard.
Personally I just wanted 1080p 60fps ports of their 360 call of duty games.
@sanderev
No.
I am not gamer like that.
I am different gamer, prefer Barbie games over than shooter games.
After they delayed BotW 2 I'm not sure there is anything to interest me on Switch this year. After Kirby they haven't really announced anything that can grab my attention. I hope some new announcements change my mind.
You say the last thing they bought us was Ghosts, that reminds me that I paid good money for that rubbish so no thanks.
@Anti-Matter laughing plastic! It's fantastic!
@sixrings People in general hate EA and activision. Not just switch owners like you say. EA hates Nintendo and their fans in general from what I have seen over the years if you look at their history. 😂. EA was voted one of top most hated companies like twice I think. Disney threatened to take the Star Wars ip away from them after what they did. That being said I don’t know what this article is for? 😂. Nintendo doesn’t have gamepass nor does it need it in my opinion. Nintendo just needs to make their online services better by themselves.
Switch owners don't play Activision games like call of duty anyway as its not on switch, and also Activision had already said that future games will remain multi platform and want call of duty on the switch if possible, so this poll seems a bit fishy to me
1) Who did they even survey?
2) I don't want this to come across as rude, but I feel it will, but what is with the rounding in this article? Particularly for the UK numbers?
As stated above almost 30% of Switch owners would consider game pass if Activision was added. This is almost 1/3.
Per the article, 26% of Switch owners would consider game pass if Activision was added. This is 1/4 (just over).
The double rounding to get up a 1/3 from a 1/4 just doesn't sit well with me.
TBH this is me just making a mountain out of a molehill. If they do add Activision to gamepass then gamepass would provide so much value it would be insane. I would imagine the price would rise however.
@Anti-Matter every time there is an article about a AAA game, you came and speaks about other games. A-lot of people prefer different games, they just don’t go in random articles about games they didn’t like, to tell others how different they are.
@Anti-Matter they have a ton of pretty good indie games too. For the cost of two full priced games a year, it’s totally worth it.
@sixrings
It's not that we outright hated them. It's the fact that we hate the amount of neglect they've given us.
@rockodoodle
I don't care with Game Pass since I played my games with legit disc or cartridge. I don't want to rent the games from Game Pass.
I never like every single things from Game Pass. It's not worthy at all for me as physical games collector.
Shock and revelation. More people would consider subscribing to a service if it had more content. 🤣
I am shooketh.
@clianvXAi
I mean Barbie games are also being published by Activision during PS2 until Wii era. That's the only game I want to see again by Activision as publisher.
I'm always have different interest.
Is that wrong to see people with different interest?
Activision Blizzard on Game Pass sounds ideal considering they've already integrated EA and Bethesda. It'll finally be a (near-)complete collection of AAA FPS games.
Ideally, I would rather get full-blown ports of these games onto the Switch, because let's be honest: Not everyone is going to be constantly connected to the internet to stream, and not every game is going to run natively on the Switch hardware, especially since this is emulation we're looking at.
The first CoD game I'd imagine would hit the Switch would be Mobile. The game would be incredibly easy to port due to the Switch having similar architecture to mobile devices AND the fact that Mobile already has native controller support with dedicated multiplayer servers for those who use controllers.
Nah. I don't really like the subscription model for games.
Moreover, I already have a large backlog of games, which serves as my own personal version of GamePass.
Gamepass cloud streaming is not good enough for competitive games...playing halo infinite on cloud puts you at a disadvantage with lag... Gamepass makes sense for xbox owners but not for anyone else... I don't need to try out games before i buy them , I also rather buy them straight out then just rent them, and many of those games you can get incredibly cheap or have been free on PC.. but it is a much better offering than switch online expansion pack
GamePass is weirdly unappealing to me, and I know I'm in the minority. Activision games mean nothing to me, not since Toys For Bob was destroyed, so I could not care less about them being added on a personal level. I just already have a huge backlog of both purchased and wish-listed games on my Nintendo and Sony systems giving me FOMO. I really don't want a whole bunch of other I haven't even picked for myself adding to that!
I did really like the Playdate's model of distributing free games though. Once a month/fortnight (not sure which) it was planned to drop a small indie game or two to your machine to play. Some would be experimental, some retro-styled or whatever, but they'd be short and unique. It's niche but way more appealing to me! I could try them out, beat them in a few hours if I enjoyed them and be done with it, and still have plenty of time to play the bigger games I'd bought myself. Shame Covid and chip shortages hit so they've been so delayed they're just going to hand out all the games in one lump - another backlog >_<
Honestly, Activision and Blizzard make very few games I have any interest in whatsoever.
I sorta like Diablo now and then. And the Spyro remaster was solid. But really, that's about it. As someone who loves Game Pass, this company adds very little value for me
No thanks, Activision games would make me less likely than i already am to get it
Don't see how this is relevant to Nintendolife but everyone here seems to have a real hard on for Game Pass at the moment.
So if you add something, the number of people considering the service increases?? How groundbreaking
I can see the use of Gamepass, but when I had it I never took strong advantage of it. I rather buy a bunch of stuff on sale and play when ever. The Gamepass discount wasn't even that decent to keep me around. That and my PC build I use with my 4k tv runs circles around my xbox series s.
I would love the option to stream my gamepass subscription games on switch.
@Arehexes Gamepass has saved me over 500 dollars this year, that is quite a lot.
@Jokerwolf No where in my comment did I say Gamepass has no value or was bad. I even started saying 'I can see the use of Gamepass'. I personally never took real advantage of it. Because the games I wanted were on other systems, or I took advantage more on other systems.
Who conducted this poll and how many people were involved in taking the poll? Just curious
Gamepass on Switch? With Call of Duty? That's like putting Skittles on salad..
Oh, just in time for Microsoft buying Activision...
This poll needs more transparency as it sounds conveniently contrived somehow.
As a PC gamer as well as a Nintendo fan I have tried the Game pass subscription when they were giving 3 months free. It does have a good selection of games however to get any real use out of it you will want the ultimate pass which allows you to stream games from anywhere. That is 15$ a month, which is great if you are going to use the service a lot however for a gamer like me with little free time I prefer the traditional buying games on sale and sitting on them for x amount of time and eventually playing them. I got Shadow of Mordor through a humble bundle years ago and I finally just installed it on the Steam Deck.
The only game subscription I pay for is Nintendo's and that's because its cheap and it also gives game save backup which has been great the few times I needed it along with the retro games that I almost never play.
I’ve got Gamepass, I’ve got Switch (heck, I’ve got PSNow too), but honestly the Activision acquisition (fun to say) really doesn’t sway me much. I just hope it makes Gamepass better because I’ve felt like Gamepass has been having a bad year so far for me. I’ve played my Xbox Series under 10 hours this year so far…
the only way ill play cod again is if they ban cheaters on a daily basis along with some players who say very offensive things that take it way too far.
I’d consider Game Pass on Switch with or without Activision lol they’re not the Rosetta Stone for me tbh. It’s just an intriguing service and consumer option.
I have game pass and I’m very happy with it
Makes more sense for PlayStation owners to want GP since Call of Duty has been released for Sony consoles. Not sure how this applies to Nintendo really.
I feel like more Switch owners would consider gamepass if it was on switch.
Just my theory.
meh, I do not care at all. Just seems expensive for a lot of games that I have no interest in playing. After a couple years with PS Now I realize I'd be happier and save a lot of money just buying the games I like, and since I like Nintendo 1st party games and indies the most, this gamepass deal offers me nothing. Not that they don't have indies on gamepass, but they're a lot cheaper to just buy once in a while, than to pay for several years of service.
I don't think I could write something like this without getting sponsorship money from Microsoft
I'd prefer it on Steam Deck, the majority of games I want to play on Game Pass wouldn't play on the Switch due to it's technical inferiority.
I don’t have time to play my Nintendo and PS games as it is (which I prefer) so definitely don’t have time for game pass. I’d probably find it overwhelming tbh…
@Arehexes Just giving a reason why I love it lol.
I would only want a subscription model if I got to keep the games forever (a la Humble Bundle).
I had Gamepass for a few months and then realized it was kinda stressing me out with too many game options and I wasn't even playing much from it, so I cancelled. Got a ton of games from itch.io bundles to play anyway.
ive been Xbox fan alongside Nintendo for years. i love my Series X same as i love my Switch. BUT.... this is BS. this is just an attempt to convince naive people to subscribe to gamepass. simple as that.
Even tough i have Series X i am not gamepass subscriber. I like to own my games. still buying physical any time i can.
@Anti-Matter There is nothing wrong with seeing people with different opinions. But posting stuff like giant Barbie gifs and saying "Girlie games forever", you should expect to get some comments in return.
Giving an opinion also means people can give theirs in response to yours.
Seems like the Russians have hacked the poll!
@Dezzy70 if gamepass was on switch or PS4 then they'd most likely lose money from sales of games that people would've bought if they weren't on gamepass that's why it doesn't make sense however if it was a version of gamepass that only had Xbox exclusive games & not 3rd party games that are multiplatform I don't think Nintendo or Sony would have a problem with it being on their console
Welcome to australia. Where all cloud based games get shafted because of our terrible internet
@Would_you_kindly
True maybe just the Xbox studio games, that’s lots of studios if all purchases go through ok.
Think it would be good to have that type of gamepass on Switch.
If you want it you pay if you don’t you don’t pay.
Switch only gamers win all round, a gamepass xbox studios if you want it.
No gamer could argue that one, variety and options.
Nope, that would not alter what I am doing now. I would continue to pass on the Game Pass.
Gamepass would be nice but I would not even touch Activision with a dirty sock on a pole until their sexual harassment culture is wiped COMPLETELY clean.
I just be happy if Nintendo had some sort of subscription service. Oh wait they do. Why am I not happy with it? …………………
I don't see this being true at all, at least not to that degree but this is what happens when you ask a few people and multiply it by everyone. When you see the Switch's best selling games they're not necessarily along the lines of what Activision offer, I own an Xbox but have no interest in Activision
@River3636 Beacuae you want to pay 15 quid a month instead of a year?
Gamepass is great. The Switch is also great. That’s all that matters, why does everything have to be turned into a competition.
@GrailUK No I just want a better online service that’s all.
@River3636 Like, in what way?
We need more games on the service. Not just the old stuff. They could easily put stuff that is in this decade on there. Heck, How about stuff made 10 years ago and a few more DLCs. That cloud save was a fail on my New OLED as well. Increase the DLC and expand their library. The obvious. All I see is drip, drip, drip.
I mean it's pretty obvious that every single Activision/Blizzard title will be on Gamepass soon as the acquisition finishes. My guess is WoW retail will also be added to ultimate at no additional cost, it will breathe much needed life into the game.
Uhh no I wouldn't consider Game Pass at all regardless. I will always prefer to own my games rather than rent them. If you think this is good value good but this service is not meant for people like me.
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