We were treated to the excellent Revenge of the Savage Planet on Xbox Game Pass back in May, and although games like these usually seem a great fit for the service, one of its developers isn't so keen on how the launch has gone.
Speaking to Gamer Social Club recently, creative director Alex Hutchinson told the outlet that although Microsoft has been an "amazing partner" and "we’re so glad to be working with them", he doesn't feel it's healthy for the industry to put titles on Xbox Game Pass at launch, and it hasn't led to the additional sales his team had originally hoped for.
"The hope was that the exposure would lead to people who got the game as part of their subscription to at least buy the little add on pack or to encourage a friend to buy it on another platform so they could play it together but we haven’t seen that, or at least not yet. What we’ve seen is that content has been devalued and that people are less willing to pay for things, which in the long run will likely mean less games being made and a lot more studios going under."
The developer mentioned in the interview that he feels the entire industry should only put games on subscription services after they've been out for a year, as the current formula "will prove very damaging to anyone who is not owned by a publisher soon if it continues".
He also advised that the "check" for putting games on subscription services like Xbox Game Pass isn't as big as it was "years ago", and ultimately it "isn't much" by today's standards unless you're a tiny or massive brand.
Nevertheless, he did share some positive thoughts about the number of players the game has managed to reach, and advised that it's "always a balance between getting the word out and actually trying to stay in business and make some money".
With something like Game Pass how does that change things from your perspective as a studio? A lot of people will point to it cannibalizing sales, and to a degree that is likely true. But on the flip side it also gets the game into a lot more people’s hands which can lead to more word of mouth and maybe actually more sales on other platforms?
"It’s always a balance between getting the word out and actually trying to stay in business and make some money. Games are incredibly expensive to make, and there’s a lot of competition. Personally, I think the whole industry should agree to only allow games on subscription services a year after release. We need to mimic the old movie model of having it in theatres then on DVD then on TV or streaming. The current structure will prove very damaging to anyone who is not owned by a publisher soon if it continues."
So, this is a bit weird. We've never come across a developer sharing critical feedback about Xbox Game Pass just a few weeks after launching on the service before, but it certainly comes across as constructive. And again, there is positive stuff in here about reaching millions of players, so it's not like he has a vendetta against the service or anything!
Go and have a read yourself on Gamer Social Club and see what you think - it's an interesting read.