Xbox Chief Has Two Words for Halo Infinite Moaners — Game Pass
While the Halo Infinite delay is a disappointment, Xbox's Phil Spencer is teasing a major announcement with its biggest console-seller: Game Pass. | Source: Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
- Xbox head Phil Spencer was interviewed as part of the Animal Talking show yesterday.
- The interview touched on the Halo Infinite delay and Microsoft’s next-gen plans.
- Spencer teased important Game Pass announcements to come.
Appearing as a guest on the Gary Whitta-hosted Animal Talking show set inside Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizon yesterday, Xbox boss Phil Spencer teased major Xbox Game Pass announcements to come.
With news of Halo Infinite’s delay to 2021 fresh in everyone’s mind , the conversation naturally veered towards the topic with Spencer candidly detailing a mad-dash 24-hour decision-making process preceding the seismic announcement.
He also noted that despite the disappointment of Xbox losing one of its strongest next-gen selling points, the company won’t pivot its launch strategy, but continue to stress the value proposition of pairing the ‘most powerful console ever’ with the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
“What you’ll see from us around the launch of the console, frankly, isn’t going to change too much because you were going to hear a lot about the console and a lot about Game Pass and how we think those two things together are a real great value proposition for gamers going into the next generation.”
Spencer explained that Game Pass has risen in importance through Xbox’s successive summer showcases, describing it as a ‘real decision-maker’ for those eyeing a next-gen console.
‘Strong’ Xbox Game Pass Announcement To Come
To that end, Spencer confirmed Xbox has no plans to rein in its investment in Game Pass and its ever-growing portfolio of games. On the contrary, the Xbox head teased ‘really great, strong, announcements’ about ‘things’ coming to Xbox Game Pass. No further details were provided, notably whether the announcements are related to games or features, nor did Spencer offer any form of meaningful time-frame.
As recently as Aug. 10, the ever-reliable Venture Beat reporter, Jeff Grubb, wrote on Twitter that Xbox would reveal ‘yet another big reason to get Game Pass in the next 2-to-3 weeks,’ something Spencer’s tease appears to echo, or at least when it comes to the scope of the announcement.
The Halo Infinite delay has reportedly derailed Microsoft’s promotional plans to some extent, pushing news planned for this month into the next. As a consequence, these Xbox Game Pass announcements may not arrive until September or possibly even later.
