Microsoft previously announced that 17 games would be added to Xbox Game Pass this month. However, today on Twitter, Microsoft announced that one game, Gang Beasts, would not be making it to the service until next year.
Gang Beasts is a multiplayer party game published by Double Fine, which is perhaps known best for developing the psychological themed platformer Psychonauts in 2005. Since then, Double Fine has gone on to develop or publish a number of games, including Brutal Legend and the upcoming sequel to Psychonauts. As for Gang Beasts, it was released initially on December 12, 2017, but didn't hit the Xbox One until 2 years later on March 27, 2019.
While it predates Fall Guys, Gang Beasts can be described as Fall Guys meets Super Smash Bros. as, like the former title, there are silly looking characters the player can dress up that also have some rather dramatic physics applied to them. Like Smash Bros., it is a multiplayer party-style fighting game in which the objective is to push opponents off the stage.
Microsoft did not provide a reason as to why Gang Beasts would not be arriving on Game Pass this month, as was previously announced. It was simply announced on Twitter recently that the game would not be arriving on Game Pass this month and would instead be coming next year.
For those unfamiliar with the Microsoft Game Pass system, it is essentially a library of games that are made available for free as long as players remained subscribed. There are three different packages to chose from: PC, Console, and Ultimate. As the names might suggest, the PC plan grants players access to the PC games available through the service and console games for the Console plan. The Ultimate package allows players to play any of the games available, no matter the system they chose to play them on. Android versions of some games also become available through this method. EA Play's games are an additional benefit of service.
With the removal of Gang Beasts the games added to the service this month include:
- Control (Android & Console)
- Doom Eternal (PC)
- Rage 2 (Android)
- Slime Rancher (Android & Console)
- Va-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action (PC)
- Yes, Your Grace (Android, Console, & PC)
- Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (Console & PC)
- Call of the Sea (Android, Console, & PC)
- Monster Sanctuary (Android & Console)
- Starbound (PC)
- Unto the End (Console & PC)
- Assetto Corsa (Android & Console)
- GreedFall (Android, Console, & PC)
- Superhot: Mind Control Delete (Android & Console)
- Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (Android, Console, & PC)
While the sudden removal of Gang Beasts is unfortunate, there are still a wide variety of games to choose from, some of which have been extremely well received. Gang Beasts didn't do exceptionally well on Xbox One, with a 67 rating on MetaCritic, so it's unlikely many players will take this loss too heavily. Those players that were looking forward to playing Gang Beasts, however, will still be able to do so, just at a later date.
Gang Beasts is available for standard purchase on Linux, Mac, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.