Earlier this week, some people checking out Microsoft’s Cloud Gaming beta website noticed something odd: a list of games like Elden Ring and Grand Theft Auto DRAW not only says they’re part of the company’s Game Pass service, but is also playable in the cloud.
This is a screen of Elden Ring’s page made by @klobrilleclearly shows both the “GAME PASS” badge and the fact that it is playable on the Cloud Gaming beta:
List for Grand Theft Auto DRAW (got on the service and left) and strangely, Soul Hackers revealed the same thing, in that none of the games were previously available on Game Pass or on Cloud Gaming, but now they are here. Even weirder is the fact that none of that has ever been announced, which you would think would be the case given the prominence of the two. Elden Ring and GTA DRAW.
Of course, there’s a reason for that, because Microsoft since then Eurogamer that the list is an “error”. “We’re aware of an issue that incorrectly displays some titles available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate,” a rep said. “We’ve rolled out a fix, and it’s now been updated.”
Usually, this kind of backend, admin content won’t that interesting, but what is of interest here is that GamesCom is less than two weeks away, when Microsoft will make a substantial appearance (and a live presentation). And in June, Microsoft announced that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users will be able to play “select” titles they own through Cloud Gaming, even if they’re not in the Game Pass category.
Put those two things together and it seems entirely logical that Microsoft would simply jump the gun on a few GamesCom announcements. Calling these listings a “bug” certainly seems to dampen that enthusiasm, but GamesCom kicks off on August 22 just in case you want to keep an eye on things.
