Video game company Xbox is countering criticism of its subscription-based Game Pass platform. On Monday, Eurogamer published an interview with ID@Xbox (Independent Developers @ Xbox) lead Chris Charla, who revealed the brand made its “largest investment in Game Pass to date” this year. In the interview, Charla touches on the subscription service model and related developer enthusiasm, as well as consumer concerns and complaints.
“The majority of partners who’ve had a game in Game Pass want to bring their future titles to the service,” ID@Xbox’s Charla told Eurogamer. “As a result, we’ve signed deals with more than 150 partners to expand the catalogue. We continue to engage with hundreds of partners each year to review upcoming titles.
“Last year, we worked with over 50 teams to sign their first Game Pass deal. This year marks our largest investment in Game Pass to date, and we remain focused on delivering the most exciting and diverse catalogue in gaming.”
Microsoft Xbox’s subscription-based Game Pass plans permit players access to digital libraries of first- and third-party video games spanning decades. Membership is marketed in “tiers,” each of the four available promising greater access in exchange for more money per month.
Xbox Game Pass criticism
Despite the overwhelming popularity of the Game Pass platform, players and industry experts have recently begun raising questions about its long-term viability, its impact on game ownership and preservation, affordability, and its impact on industry business models by and large. Among notable critics is Larian Studios’ publishing director Michael Douse and Arkane Studios’ Raphael Colatonio, who shared their concerns on X (formerly Twitter). “I think Gamepass 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,” Colatonio wrote. “I don’t think GP can co-exist with other models, they’ll either kill everyone else, or give up.”
Recent studies show gamers are shelling out more annually for their hobby than ever before; nearly one-quarter of North American gamers (24%) report paying for subscription-based platforms, while one-fifth of U.K.-based players spend 20% on similar offerings. According to the report, gamers’ buys show “a growing trend toward personalized and flexible monetization models.”
As the Microsoft subsidiary reveals its biggest-ever Game Pass investment, the other two members of gaming’s “Big 3” — Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo — aren’t far behind. Over the summer, Sony-owned PlayStation announced it would hike prices for its subscription-based PlayStation Plus offering. Just last month, multimedia giant Nintendo said it would increase prices for its Switch consoles as well as games, even though the brand’s controversial new Game-Key Cards don’t actually contain playable software; the chip-like cartridges are more emblematic of the included digital download code.
Final Thoughts
As AAA studio bigwigs push quasi-rental services like Xbox Game Pass and distribute plastic versions of internet connection-reliant download codes, players and professionals are raising eyebrows about the future of the industry.
Console sales aren’t what they used to be, and whether you chalk it up to tariffs, consumer affordability, increased handheld hardware sales, or a lack of innovation beyond AI implementation and new subscription tiers (or a bit of all of that), Big Tech brands are hoping that new and comparatively cheaper subscription plans will appease modern players’ more cost-conscious, critical palates.
Are you subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Online, PlayStation Plus, or another subscription-based games platform? Let us know how you feel in the comments.
Follow us on MSN for more content you love.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.