Starfield from Bethesda Game Studios has quite a bit of hype behind it, and for good reason. It will be the first large-scale single-player RPG that Bethesda has put out since 2015's Fallout 4, and it's even been described as Skyrim in space. Starfield has potential to be a huge success when it launches, and it was being positioned as Xbox's premiere holiday 2022 release. Unfortunately, Bethesda delayed Starfield, pushing the game back to 2023.
Starfield's delay hurts Xbox in 2022, and by extension, it hurts the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. The big selling point of Xbox Game Pass is immediate day one access to brand-new games, including first-party Xbox titles like Starfield. Starfield has left a big void that Xbox Game Pass will have to figure out some way to fill, and it's not the only Bethesda-published game that was moved to 2023. It was also confirmed that vampire multiplayer game Redfall from Arkane has also been delayed from 2022 to 2023.
But when it comes to Xbox Game Pass, 2022's loss is 2023's gain. The delays of Redfall and Starfield to 2023 may give people less reasons to be subscribed to Xbox Game Pass this year, but they will help to make 2023 absolutely huge for the subscription service.
Redfall, Starfield, and Other Bethesda Games on Game Pass
Microsoft has been upfront that one of the main reasons it acquired Bethesda and its studios was to secure exclusive games for Xbox and Game Pass. Previous Bethesda deals with PlayStation have meant that Bethesda-published titles like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo have released as timed PS5 exclusives, but those deals are done and 2023 is when the Bethesda acquisition will really start to pay off.
Besides Redfall and Starfield, there is potential for other Bethesda-published games to be released in 2023. It's not known what every Bethesda studio is working on, and while it's more likely that the games they're making won't come until later, it's possible some will drop next year. Fans may get a better idea of what to expect by tuning in to the Xbox and Bethesda showcase event, scheduled to take place June 12.
Call of Duty on Game Pass
Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda was done to get games for Xbox Game Pass, and it's a safe bet that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is happening for similar reasons. At the time of this writing, Microsoft's acquisition of Activision hasn't actually gone through, and there's a chance that the deal won't be finalized. But if the acquisition does happen, it's expected to be finalized in 2023. This means that Xbox Game Pass will likely be flooded with a wide variety of Activision-published titles.
Not only will this give Xbox Game Pass an influx of older games for fans to check out, but it would also mean subscribers getting day one access to new blockbuster releases from Activision. Most notably, this would likely include the 2023 Call of Duty game. The 2023 Call of Duty hasn't been announced just yet, but it's believed to be in development at Treyarch.
Xbox Game Pass Games That Have Yet to Be Revealed
Microsoft has a lot more on deck besides the aforementioned Bethesda and Activision published titles. Microsoft has gone on an acquisition spree in recent years in an attempt to bolster its lineup of first-party games and console exclusives. Some games from those studios that have already been announced, like Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed for example, could very well release in 2023 if it doesn't launch this year.
Microsoft's other studios all have stuff in the works, though many of their projects are being kept secret at the time of this writing. Again, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will want to make it a point to tune in to the Xbox and Bethesda showcase event on June 12 to get a glimpse at Microsoft's future plans for Xbox Game Pass for later this year, 2023, and maybe even beyond.
Xbox Game Pass Third Party Deals
The first-party lineup for Xbox Game Pass in 2023 has potential to be the biggest that subscribers have seen since the service launched. However, that doesn't mean the third-party deals are going to go away. On the contrary, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can safely count on 2023 including plenty more third-party games. Some of these may be day one releases like we saw with titles like Outriders, but in other cases, they will be older games that are added to Xbox Game Pass at some point after their launch.
Regardless, fans can count on new Xbox Game Pass games being added every month throughout 2023. Sometimes the new Xbox Game Pass games will consist of lower-profile games, but other times they will be high-profile, big budget releases. Whatever the case may be, the delays in 2022 have helped set up 2023 to be an incredible year for Game Pass, and it will be interesting to see if it lives up to expectations.