Newly-Added Xbox Game Pass Game Already Has a Removal Date

gamerant.com:

Correspondence from 2K suggests that NBA 2K24 will only be available on Xbox Game Pass until August 31, 2024. Xbox Game Pass games are removed on a regular basis, but it's rare for subscribers to know a game's removal date months in advance.

For the most part, Xbox Game Pass games are removed on two specific days every month: the 15th and the last day of the month. Most of the time, Xbox Game Pass subscribers don't know about the games leaving the service soon until they're about two weeks out from getting pulled. There are rare exceptions to the rule, and now the newly-added NBA 2K24 is one of those rare exceptions.

NBA 2K24 was added to Xbox Game Pass on March 11. Its addition to the subscription service came as a big surprise, as NBA 2K24 wasn't mentioned anywhere in the Game Pass Wave 1 announcement. While the game released to mixed reviews, there's no denying the popularity of the NBA 2K franchise, and there are many who would jump at the opportunity to play the latest game in the series without actually having to buy it at full price. Unfortunately, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will only have access to NBA 2K24 until August 31, 2024, meaning that the game will only be on the service for about five months.

When NBA 2K24 is removed from Xbox Game Pass on August 31, it will likely be joined by a handful of other games, though it's anyone's guess as to what they may be. Xbox Game Pass contracts seem to last for about a year most of the time, and so it's probable that some of the games that were added to Xbox Game Pass in August 2023 will be on the chopping block. Ultimately, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have to wait for official word to be sure.

Now, there have been times when a game has been announced for Xbox Game Pass removal only for it to end up staying on the service. The most recent example of this is Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered was said to be leaving Xbox Game Pass on March 15, but this