How Xbox Game Pass helped Guardians of the Galaxy meet the developer’s expectations

The Guardians of the Galaxy video game has had a strange journey since its release in late 2021. The required quality and execution helped the game sit well in the gaming community.

However, according to an internal meeting at Square Enix, the game's sales didn't meet expectations. It's hard to gage expectations, but the game's addition to the Xbox Game Pass certainly changed things. Given the incredible accessibility offered by the service, the game is finally starting to meet those expectations.

Xbox Game Pass is a Netflix-type service that allows players to download or stream any of the included games. Subscribers are offered a vast library of video games that they can play by paying a monthly charge.

In the early days of March 2022, Guardians of the Galaxy was added to the service. The possible reason may have been the relatively weaker sales. Since then, the game has been quite popular among players, as per the title's developers.

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Square Enix happy with Guardians of the Galaxy's reception on Xbox Game Pass

According to reports, those associated with Guardians of the Galaxy are finally garnering recognition after the game was added to Xbox Game Pass. Speaking to Eurogamer, Narrative Director Mary DeMarle had something very positive to say about how well the game has been received:

"For me, it's all about creating the game. What I love right now is that people, especially with Game Pass, are playing it, and they're sharing the experience."

So how did things turn around? The game hasn't changed much, and the positives were always there. However, the greater accessibility that comes from the Xbox Game Pass has likely fetched the game an audience.

A bigger reason for the mixed sales wasn't entirely down to the game itself. The same publisher's poor-quality Avengers video game likely played a role in customer perception. Compared to Guardians of the Galaxy, the hype over the Avengers game was much more massive. Yet, it failed to deliver and missed its the targets by some margin.

It is possible that the fallout from the first game may have affected the developers' second game based on Marvel characters. There were positive reactions from players who played the game. However, if Square Enix is to be believed, it did not sell well enough.

When developers add their games to Game Pass, they are paid a lump sum for it. Square Enix reportedly gained between $5-and $10 million by offering their game on the service. On the one hand, this allowed the publishers to make up handy revenue at once.

More importantly, the game has become accessible to more than 20 million subscribers of Game Pass, meaning potentially 20 million new players for it.

Guardians of the Galaxy provides an example of a great game that didn't sell well. Had there been no Xbox Game Pass, it would have been difficult to find the reception that it has found now.

Thanks to Microsoft's gaming service, it finally has the audience that it should have had in the first place. The recent occurrence is also a vital lesson for any developer who wants a bigger audience. The uniqueness of the Xbox Game Pass service benefits the players hugely by making games more affordable. It also helps titles such as Guardians of the Galaxy get the player base they deserve.