Microsoft is planning to expand its subscription service Xbox Game Pass to the Chinese market. In the latest version of the Xbox PC app pushed this week, developers found a codename description called "Project Saluki (Saluki Plan)", whose description directly points to "exploiting the Chinese market for Game Pass, points rewards and subscription tiers."
Currently, although Microsoft has provided a number of games in China through Activision Blizzard, it has not yet officially launched the Xbox Game Pass service. Microsoft launched Xbox One in China as early as 2014, making it the first home console brand to officially enter China after China ended its 14-year ban on game consoles. However, because games sold in China need to pass regulatory approval one by one, the game catalog of the Xbox Mall in China is far less than that in other regions. This is also seen as an important reason why Game Pass has been difficult to launch in China.
Judging from the information exposed this time, "Project Saluki" is likely to mean that Microsoft is designing a streamlined subscription plan for Chinese players, providing a smaller but more localized game lineup in a strictly censored environment. It is speculated that this plan may localize the game content, reward mechanism and price levels while retaining the core subscription model of Game Pass. In this regard, the media has sought comment from Microsoft on the "Saluki Plan", but Microsoft has not responded publicly yet.
In addition to the subscription service, another item called "Positron" appeared in the Xbox PC application code, which was briefly described as "Disc2Digital support." Judging from the literal meaning, this feature may allow users to "redeem" physical disc games into digital version licenses, once again evoking an idea that Microsoft proposed during the original Xbox One but did not materialize. At that time, Microsoft had planned to provide players with a digital solution for CD-ROM games, but was ultimately forced to shelve it due to strong resistance from game publishers and offline retail channels.
Some people believe that "Positron" may be related to Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console "Project Helix", laying out the technical path for digital content migration and asset integration for the new platform. Industry analysts say that if the disc-to-digital mechanism is implemented, the problem of digital migration of existing physical game user assets is expected to be partially alleviated, and it may also promote the overall Xbox ecosystem to further transition to pure digital distribution. However, Microsoft has not yet given a more specific timetable or implementation details for the "Positron" and "Helix" plans.