This has been a bad week for the Xbox brand, as recent layoffs and numerous game cancellations have made the Microsoft property look incompetent and greedy. Microsoft itself is also under a lot of scrutiny, firing over 15,000 employees just to invest in AI. One more bubble that might burst is Game Pass, as former Xbox devs are claiming this service isn’t sustainable for the Xbox brand.
Raphael Colantonio, the founder of Arkane Studios, has gone on social media and talked about the “elephant in the room.” Colantonio was quick to point out how this “elephant” is Game Pass and talked about his annoyance with the service. When a fan asked for more details, he didn’t hold back and said the following:
“I think Game Pass is an unsustainable model that has been increasingly damaging the industry for a decade, subsidized by MS’s “infinite money”, but at some point reality has to hit. I don’t think GP can co-exist with other models, they’ll either kill everyone else, or give up.”
Michael Douse, publishing director of Larian Studios, replied to this by sharing his own criticisms of Game Pass. Like Colantonio, he doesn’t think this service is the “infinite money” pit that Xbox thinks it is. Colantonio later admitted that this service does have a use for back catalogues and keeping games preserved, but not as something that can carry a console.
While Game Pass is a seemingly consumer-friendly service that most Xbox owners can get a lot from, it’s not necessarily great for developers or publishers. Although some games benefit a ton from this service, others have suffered and gotten lost in the shuffle. Much like content from Netflix or Disney+, it’s easy to drop something in order to try out the shiny new game or just pick up a comfort title.
The recent actions of Xbox and Microsoft have been disappointing, especially since they were once viewed as the most consumer-friendly gaming brand. In some ways, they still are, but the company has dug its own grave by constantly buying companies and shutting them down. We wouldn’t be surprised if Game Pass suffers from this and gets another price hike in the next few years.
For more Xbox coverage, stick with us here at Gfinityesports.com: the best website for gamers.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Gaming News and Xbox page.