Microsoft has unexpectedly removed a previously announced Xbox Game Pass game from its upcoming July lineup without explanation. The last-minute change quickly sparked confusion among subscribers, especially because Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 comes from Activision, a publisher Microsoft now owns.
Microsoft Quietly Removes Tony Hawk 1 + 2 From Xbox Game Pass
Microsoft sparked confusion in the Xbox community after mysteriously pulling Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 from its Xbox Game Pass lineup. The title was originally announced for its July 15 update. However, the publisher quietly removed the popular Activision game from its schedule literally hours before its release.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Microsoft didn’t even make a proper announcement about the surprising decision. Instead, the company added a small sentence to the bottom of an Xbox Wire blog post revealing that it had been pulled without explaining why. “Editor’s Note (7/13): We’ve removed Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 from the list of titles coming soon to Game Pass.”
The move is also particularly interesting since Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is developed by Activision, which Microsoft now owns. That has left many subscribers wondering why Microsoft would remove one of its own first-party games from the service without warning. The fact that Xbox removed one of its own Activision games from Xbox Game Pass immediately sparked panic among some players, who worried that the subscription service could be winding down its expansive library.
Xbox Game Pass Subscribers React to Tony Hawk Removal
Many Xbox Game Pass subscribers reacted to the last-second removal of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 with panic. With the devastating Xbox layoffs this month, CEO Asha Sharma admitted that the gaming brand’s business was no longer “healthy.” The layoffs also reignited debate over whether Xbox Game Pass, in its current state, is financially viable. This led to speculation that the subscription service could have games pulled.
So, of course, when Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was removed, it sparked a new wave of panic. Some players even speculated that the removal could signal broader changes to Xbox Game Pass going forward. “I think Game Pass is going to be more like PlayStation Plus going forward. If they were losing 4 cents or whatever for every 10 cents they invested and if their margins were as low as they said compared to the competition, if you combine that with the failed pricing stress test I think all Xbox games are probably going to be two years before Game Pass,” a user on Reddit theorized.
Other Xbox fans were critical of the decision, claiming that Game Pass has seen a dip in quality lately. “Well, that sucks. Xbox gets worse every single day. You can’t look at this month’s drops and be pleased. Especially when you look at the games leaving the service this month as well,” a user wrote on Reddit, for example.
Why Microsoft Removed Tony Hawk 1 + 2 From Xbox Game Pass
As of the time of writing, Microsoft has not confirmed why Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was pulled from Xbox Game Pass. The beloved skating sim could still be added to the subscription service at a later date, and it’s also possible that the Activision game was pulled for other outside reasons.
Until Microsoft provides an official explanation, Game Pass subscribers are left wondering whether the removal was simply a scheduling issue or a sign of broader changes to the subscription service.
The post Microsoft Sparks Confusion After Mysteriously Removing Game From Xbox Game Pass appeared first on VICE.
