The next Like a Dragon game is just around the corner, as its release date is January 16th, and some gamers are wondering: will it be coming straight to Xbox Game Pass, or will they be expected to buy it for now?
Over the past few years, many of the Like a Dragon games have steadily made their way onto the service, as more games are being created. However, Xbox gamers will sadly have some bad news on this front, as Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth could be the exception.
Is Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Coming to Xbox Game Pass, or Will It Be Missed?
Unfortunately, Series X/S owners will have to suffer paying for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth upon its release, as studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama has officially confirmed that the game will be skipping its initial release on the Xbox Game Pass.
That being said, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will still be making its appearance on the Series X/S and will be playable by those who own those consoles. The only difference is that they will sadly be unable to obtain the game for free upon its initial release.
What makes this so shocking is the fact that prior to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s release, many of the previous games had steadily made their way onto Game Pass, which is why many gamers have been wondering whether this title will follow suit.
Even though Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth won’t be making its Xbox Game Pass debut right away, that doesn’t mean that further down the line it won’t make an appearance. Usually, when a game avoids its release on the Xbox Game Pass, it will usually take roughly a year or slightly longer before it gets brought onto the Game Pass, but since Like a Dragon‘s other games have already been brought onto it, we could see it making its entrance a little sooner.
Is This a Sign That Other Games in This Franchise Won’t Be Coming to Game Pass Upon Release?
As stated above, other games in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise have already made their appearance on Xbox Game Pass in the past, whether it has been years after their release or pretty much immediately, but now with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth skipping Game Pass, many gamers will be worried that this could be a new trend for the franchise.
Since this hasn’t officially been confirmed, this is only hypothetical, as no one knows whether or not the future installments will make their appearance on Xbox Game Pass. However, if the next collection of games follows the suit of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, then there is potential for this trend to end.
There are many reasons why Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth may not be making its appearance on the Xbox Game Pass, but by the time of the next game’s release, these reasons may have disappeared. For example, the developers may not feel that this variation of the game will receive a lot of attention from the fan base as there have been many mechanical changes to the game.
This means that they are taking a risk with the game and are looking to see how it responds to the current fan base of the franchise. If the game sadly flops even though it already looks like a fantastic game, then it is likely that the fan base isn’t happy with the direction the games are taking, and this could affect the future of the franchise as a whole.
If the game sells more copies without being on the Xbox Game Pass, then this could show that Game Pass was holding it back rather than boosting it up, even though that is highly unlikely. But if this is the case, then the developers will focus more on avoiding Xbox Game Pass and just selling the game as normal, eventually sending the game to Game Pass in the future.
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