If anyone was still harboring doubts about the efficacy of developers adding their titles toMicrosoft’s Xbox Game Pass service, the success ofDirt 5appears to be ready to prove them wrong. The off-road racing game came to Game Pass in February this year, and even the developers at Codemasters have been surprised at the effect it’s had on the growth of the player base.

Speaking with the folks at GameOnDaily on their weekly podcast,Dirt 5technical director David Springate reported that the impact of the game’s release on Xbox Game Pass had been “absolutely fantastic,” going on to elaborate that the player count was now “shockingly huge.” It seems the game’s debut on Game Pass resulted in a huge spike in engagement, and had “a positive effect on the game and the way it’s talked about.”

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This news bodes well for the numerous other developers bringing their own games to Xbox Game Pass, as well asthose who arguably ought to consider it in the future. A recurring concern in the discourse about Game Pass revolves around the fear that users, able to dabble in a variety of games at once, might be less inclined to commit their time and money to any one particular title, butDirt 5’s success suggests that, for this game at least, those fears are unfounded.

In fact,users of Xbox Game Pass apparently tend to spend even more money on gamesthan the average. The possible reasons for this, including the purchase of DLC and cosmetic items, might seem to leave smaller games from indie developers out in the cold, but Microsoft’s approach to Game Pass, which often offers lump sums to the developers or offers to cover all production costs in exchange for getting the game on Game Pass on launch day, usually verify no-one falls through the cracks.

Though some might fear thatthe explosive popularity of Xbox Game Pass might have a dark side to it, it’s hard to argue with the results at the moment. By and large, developers and consumers alike seem very happy with the way the service works, and the accomplishments ofDirt 5are just the latest in a string of success stories.

Dirt 5is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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