Xbox has reportedly obtained exclusive game streaming rights for Grand Theft Auto 6 at launch.
This comes from a report by The Verge, which says Xbox head Asha Sharma shared this news with employees during an all-hands this morning.
What this means in practice is that users of Xbox’s cloud gaming service will be able to stream GTA 6 when it comes out on November 19, and no other cloud streaming service will have the game. It also means that PC users will be able to stream GTA 6 to their PCs, despite the game not being available on PC at launch. It is unclear how long this exclusivity window will last, so it’s possible other services will have it available in the future.
This comes on the heels of a number of changes to how Xbox handles its cloud gaming services. For one, Xbox will begin capping the number of hours its Game Pass audience can use cloud streaming each month to just 15 hours for Game Pass Ultimate, 10 hours for Premium, and 5 hours for Essential. When this was announced, Xbox said the change would only “impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers.” The company also noted that this change was due to the growing cost of providing cloud gaming, a cost that it may have foreseen would rise once GTA 6 launched and its users wanted to stream the game.
Xbox is also launching a pay-as-you-go option for cloud gaming untethered from Xbox Game Pass, also in November. And it’s testing a free, ad-supported version of its cloud gaming service with Xbox Insiders.
