Contrary to popular belief, the best marketing strategy can sometimes be just letting people play your game for free. It may sound counterproductive, but subscription services like Xbox Game Pass have proved this strategy to be successful over and over again. Spending money on an unfamiliar IP seems to be way less likely than clicking the download button on a game that's already included in a subscription anyway; it just eliminates a lot of the mental gymnastics that usually come with spending money.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the best examples of how much accessibility changes the rules. Creative director Guillaume Broche has said that Game Pass significantly lowered the barrier for people who might otherwise hesitate to try a turn-based RPG, and Microsoft later confirmed that Expedition 33 became its biggest new third-party Game Pass launch of 2025. However, now that Game Pass has already done its job, those who are now hooked on the game may be perfectly willing to buy it after it leaves the service.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the biggest third-party game launch on Xbox Game Pass in 2025, surpassing all other titles in its first 30 days.

Arguably, Game Pass was most valuable to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 when people still had no idea whether they would like it or not. Like every new game, this one had some convincing to do, especially since its turn-based combat was already acting as a barrier for players who prefer RPGs with real-time combat .

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