Xbox One Pre-Loading Support Announced at Gamescom, Starts In September

During Microsoft's Gamescom briefing today, the company officially confirmed that Xbox One owners will soon have the option to preorder and pre-load "select" digital games. Microsoft's Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, announced the news today, saying the option will begin with FIFA 15 (September 26) and Forza Horizon 2 (September 30) this fall.

In June, Spencer said Microsoft was still thinking about Xbox One pre-loading. The company has also not abandoned its ambitions to bring back some of the Xbox One digital features, like family sharing, sometime in the future. Sony introduced pre-loading support for PlayStation 4 back in June.

"Preorder and pre-download gives gamers additional options for where they can purchase game content and the ability to purchase in their preferred format," Microsoft said. "This also enables the title to download ahead of availability, so gamers can begin playing immediately upon the release of the game."

For more on Microsoft's Gamescom showing, check out a recap of our liveblog.