Square Enix praises Outriders Game Pass launch, says player numbers exceeded expectations

Square Enix has commended the day one launch of Outriders on Xbox Game Pass, saying that the decision led to more players than expected.

The game, developed by People Can Fly, launched on April 1 across multiple platforms, but was free to play for Game Pass console subscribers.

During the company's full year briefing, Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda said that the Outriders IP has "gotten off to a good start", not only with player numbers, but with sales too.

"In addition, we have been pleasantly surprised as the digital sales ratio for the title have been very high, and the number of active users has also beaten our expectations," Matsuda said.

"We believe that our decision to make Outriders available with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass as soon as the title launched also worked in our favor. (to build an installed base for the game)."

Outriders reached 3.5 million unique players in its launch month, putting the title "on track to become the company's next major franchise", according to Square Enix.

Co-head of studio Jon Brooke also added: "We look forward to expanding on Outriders in the future."