eh, depends, in this case "buy to own" might not be the best approach.

gamepasses like the one from xbox offer more than just one game...and IF he likes the game he most likely will be able to buy it cheap at some point anyways, while also having the option to enjoy the other games the gamepass has to offer.

In the end, it all boils down to whether he's looking for some "play once" single player campaign or a multiplayer/ coop looter to play for longer.

If he's looking for the later, buying the game imho is not worth it, since the game cannot really deliver that.

If he just is looking for a single player campaign to enjoy one playthrough, the gamepass will be sufficiant as well.