Xbox has launched an official Game Pass app so gamers can download titles to their home console via a mobile phone from anywhere in the world.
The release was part of a raft of news from the company at the XO18 event in Mexico over the weekend, which also included two new studio acquisitions.
The Game Pass app, which is available on iOS and Android devices, lets users discover games and install them on their Xbox One remotely. Xbox said gamers need to set their home console to “Instant-On” and enable remote installations in the Settings menu for the service to work.
Game Pass offers more than 100 games, including new Xbox exclusives, which can be downloaded and played online or offline for a monthly price. It was the subject of some major announcements at XO18 on Saturday, which was attended by over 10,000 people and streamed live on Inside Xbox.
They were told that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the hugely popular battle royale game that pits 100 players against each other, will be added to Game Pass on November 12.
Ori and the Blind Forest, a 2D platformer; strategy title Kingdom Two Crowns, and award-winning adventure Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice will join the list in December. Ori and the Will of the Wisps will follow in 2019.
Thief of Thieves, in which gamers take on the role of a cat burglar, is now available in Xbox Game Pass, with Agents of Mayhem, MXGP3 and Thomas Was Alone joining on November 22.
Independent games coming to the service include Aftercharge, Supermarket Shriek, Mutant Year Zero, Pathologic 2, The Good Life and Secret Neighbor.
During XO18, Xbox also announced that it will buy inXile Entertainment, a US-based studio known for its PC and role-playing games (RPG).
Led by Interplay founder Brian Fargo, inXile’s two development teams in Newport Beach, California, and New Orleans have created titles such as Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera, Bard’s Tale IV and the upcoming Wasteland 3.
Matt Booty, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Studios, wrote in a blog post: “The team at inXile has earned a distinguished reputation for creating deep, engaging role-playing games. As part of Microsoft Studios, inXile will have the support and freedom to fully realize its creative ambitions on both existing franchises and new projects. The studio will continue to operate autonomously and bring its unique talents, intellectual propert and expertise to Microsoft Studios as they build new RPG experiences for our players and fans.”
Xbox will also buy Obsidian Entertainment, the California-based studio behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Fallout: New Vegas, South Park: The Stick of Truth, and Pillars of Eternity.
The deals come just five months after Microsoft Studios bought two UK studios – Playground Games, which created the hugely popular Forza Horizon franchise, and Ninja Theory, which made Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
