Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told employees that Microsoft is getting ready to do something around Grand Theft Auto VI that “no other platform holder is doing” during an employee all-hands this morning. According to sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans, Sharma’s brief teaser was actually about Xbox managing to land a deal for the exclusive game streaming rights for Grand Theft Auto VI.
The deal will mean only Xbox Cloud Gaming can stream Grand Theft Auto VI to players at launch, but it’s not clear how long the agreement will be in place. Rockstar Games still hasn’t announced a PC version of Grand Theft Auto VI, so this deal will allow Xbox to market its Xbox Cloud Gaming service to PC players who would otherwise need an Xbox Series X / S or PS5 console.
News of the streaming rights comes around a month after Microsoft announced some major changes to Xbox Cloud Gaming. From November, the same month Grand Theft Auto VI releases, Microsoft is limiting streaming hours to just 15 hours for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, 10 hours for Premium subscribers, and just five hours for Game Pass Essential.
Microsoft is also opening up access to Xbox Cloud Gaming with a pay-as-you-go option next month, rather than being limited to Game Pass subscriptions. The pay-as-you-go option is perfectly timed for Grand Theft Auto VI, allowing those who don’t own an Xbox, or who primarily play from a phone, to stream the game by paying for a bundle of hours.
During the Xbox all-hands, Sharma also told employees that Project Helix, the next generation of Xbox hardware, will be a “family of devices” and that Microsoft will partner with others on some of those devices. Sharma first called Helix a family of devices last month in an interview, after Microsoft and AMD announced a “strategic multi-year partnership” last year to work together on “a portfolio of devices,” including Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox console.
