Update (Tue 10th Jan, 2023): As part of today's Xbox Game Pass roundup, Microsoft has indeed confirmed that We Happy Few is leaving the library on January 15th. The team hasn't provided any info on a potential re-release or replacement version of the game, but the announcement post does close out with a message that more Xbox Game Pass news is coming in the near future.
Original story: To add to our stop-start January 2023 for Xbox Game Pass so far, we've now spotted another leaver that's actually from an Xbox-owned developer. Compulsion Games' We Happy Few is set to leave the service "soon" according to the Game Pass app.
Now, we don't know the full details on this just yet, or the date it's set to leave, but this is an odd one. Compulsion is indeed now owned by Xbox, but at the time of We Happy Few's release, the developer was independent and the game was published by Gearbox, not Microsoft.
Considering that Gearbox published the title back in 2018, its departure is perhaps not quite as surprising as it first appears. Could we be about to see a new version of We Happy Few published by Xbox to ensure it'll return to Xbox Game Pass? It's certainly a possibility - after all, there is reportedly an Xbox showcase coming up. As far as we know, Compulsion Games (and therefore, Microsoft) owns the We Happy Few IP as of 2023.
For now, we'll have to wait and see how this one shakes out, but it does look like the game in its current form is set to leave the Game Pass library soon. Hopefully an official roundup from Microsoft clears things up for us.
Did you play this one? Surprised to see it on the leaver list? Let us know!
Comments 8
Seen quite a few friends of mine playing this.
You know, it could be back soon, thanks to a new deal with Microsoft, right?
Bizarre decision at first. I hope it is because it's a Gearbox published title and we don't start to see XGS games leave the service. There are definitely games I want to get to but have less priority because I THINK they aren't going anywhere precisely because they are Xbox Game Studios titles.
way more seems to be leaving gp than added recently
It's Tuesday so we might get a game pass announcement today
A publisher indeed gets to make calls as to how a game is distributed, so games like these likely will need regular re-negotiation to continuously stay in GamePass.
Bit of a bad move to say it's going and then only give people 5 days notice.
@stvevan Yeah im noticing this as well. I wouldn't mind if games were being added that I actually wanted to play, but they're not. Hate to say it but I'm tempted to cancel my sub since I find myself going on steam more to play games than for xbox like I used to
@stvevan i don't see big games leaving and im happy with the 2023 list we will be fine
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