PlayStation boss Jim Ryan claims that many game publishers aren’t fans of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
During a pre-recorded deposition to the FTC regarding Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Ryan asserted that he’s talked to “all publishers” and they “unanimously do not like Game Pass because it’s value destructive.” He went on to claim this is a “very commonly held view over many years by the publishers.”
Of course, it’s understandable that Ryan would be remiss to single out specific publishers who are supposedly against Game Pass, but at the same time, his statement doesn’t mean much otherwise. In contrast, there’s evidently been a lot of third-party support for Game Pass from companies, such as Square Enix (various Final Fantasy and Dragon Age titles), Sega (Yakuza series) and Rockstar (Red Dead Redemption 2).
Xbox even noted in its recent showcase that many of those featured Game Pass titles were from partners who’d previously brought a game to the service. While we generally don’t know the exact financials, of course, the fact that companies continue to support Game Pass shows at least some degree of interest. Some indie developers have praised the service for the upfront financials they receive on top of the word-of-mouth promotion afforded by the service, although others have said it “hurts” sales.
Regardless, there are larger concerns regarding Game Pass, including its sustainability, especially considering AAA game budgets often fall in the $100 million range. Xbox, for its part, has argued its longevity. It should be noted that Xbox has been slow to roll out most of the big games with which it plans to bolster Game Pass, such as September’s Starfield and the next Fable. It remains to be seen whether Xbox will commit to bringing all of its exclusive titles to the service on day one once it hits a more consistent release schedule for its catalogue.
For now, the FTC hearing is scheduled to proceed through June 29th.
Via: The Verge
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