Update – 21/04/2022: Game Pass has now been released in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. After completing the initial three-month trial which goes for RM5, the service will be available for RM15 a month.
Xbox has announced that they are bringing a preview of PC Game Pass to five countries in Southeast Asia, these being Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Beginning today, players can register for the PC Game Pass preview giving them access to a library of over 100 high-quality games including new Xbox Game Studios releases on day one, and iconic Bethesda games for one low monthly price.
You can access the preview by using the Xbox Insider app. Players in Malaysia can then trial PC Game Pass for RM0.50 for the duration of the preview. This is an attempt by the developers to set up and test the local payment systems. As this is the first step in bringing access to PC Game Pass in the region, participants can test and share their feedback so that improvements can be made to the service.
PC Game Pass launched in 2019 and has generally succeeded in offering Xbox and PC users a highly curated library of great games at a consumer-friendly price. Since then, the service has continued to evolve based on feedback from members across the world. Xbox states they are committed to helping gamers discover their next favorite games, and are excited to bring the service to countries like Malaysia.
“At Xbox, our mission is simple, to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. Bringing PC Game Pass to new countries in Southeast Asia is an important part of how we will achieve this as we strive to reach billions of players,” said Jeremy Hinton, Xbox Asia Business Lead.
PC Game Pass includes well-known Xbox brands like Minecraft, Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires, Sea of Thieves, and Microsoft Flight Simulator, among others. This includes new Xbox Game Studios titles on day one like Halo Infinite, as well as Bethesda franchises like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, independent games, and blockbusters.
“PC Game Pass features a large library of high-quality titles from diverse game studios, with experiences from every genre. Xbox Insiders will get the first opportunity to experience the value that PC Game Pass offers, and we look forward to making the service available to more gamers soon.”
We actually did a previous article on why the Xbox brand doesn’t do well in Southeast Asia and not having game pass widely available in the region was one of the main issues. Good to see that they are taking steps to correct that.