New Xbox Game Pass Games for January 19 Are a Blow to PlayStation
The new Xbox Game Pass games that are coming to the service on January 19 are a blow to the PlayStation brand.
Xbox Game Pass is adding two Persona franchise games to the service on January 19, which should prove to be a blow to the PlayStation brand. Xbox Game Pass has been the key to Microsoft’s strategy this generation, with the company doing everything it can to convince as many Xbox gamers as possible to sign up. Microsoft is also trying to lure in new potential customers with Xbox Game Pass, securing major third-party games representing genres that have traditionally lagged behind on Xbox.
It was in that spirit that the shock announcement was made that formerly PlayStation-exclusive Persona 5 Royal would not only be jumping ship to Xbox, but it would be doing so as an Xbox Game Pass game. Persona 5 Royal is one of the highest-rated games of all time, and so its exclusivity to PlayStation consoles was always a big deal. Now it’s readily available on competing platforms, including Xbox Game Pass, and it will soon be joined by other highly-regarded games in the Persona series.
Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden are next in line for Xbox Game Pass, joining the popular subscription service on January 19. Like Persona 5 Royale before them, Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden‘s Xbox Game Pass debuts will be a blow to PlayStation. While Persona 4 Golden has received a PC port, this will mark the first time that Persona 3 Portable has ever been available to play on a non-PlayStation console.
Xbox Game Pass January Games
- Persona 3 Portable – January 19
- Persona 4 Golden – January 19
- Monster Hunter Rise – January 20
- Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition – January 31 (consoles)
- Inkulinati – January 31
- Roboquest – TBA (consoles)
Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the new Xbox Game Pass games for January 2023. The full list of new games coming to Xbox Game Pass in January 2023 has not been revealed at the time of this writing, but Stranded Deep has already been added to the service with more games on the way. Microsoft is expected to highlight all the new Xbox Game Pass games for the first half of January 2023 at some point later this week, so subscribers will want to stay tuned on that front.
In the meantime, the second half of January 2023 has already taken shape. Besides Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden joining Xbox Game Pass on January 19, subscribers also have Monster Hunter Rise to look forward to on January 20, the console version of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition on January 31, and day one game Inkulinati on January 31. The console version of Roboquest is also expected to join the Xbox Game Pass lineup at some point in January 2023 as well, but an official date has not been announced at the time of this writing.