Founder of humiliation and prey-developed Arkane Slams Game Pass after Xbox layoffs: “Why isn't anyone talking about elephants in the room?”

Follow Sweeping Xbox layoffsThe founder of Microsoft-owned Arkane Studios hit it out on Game Pass, and his subscription model called “Unsustainable.”

Raphael Colantonio Weird West Manufacturer Wolfeye Studios, Go to social media for a question: “Why isn't anyone talking about elephants in the room? Cough (GamePass).”

When asked to expand on his thoughts on Game Pass, which Weird West launched straight into as a day one title in March 2022, Colantonio said: “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. I don't think GP can co-exist with other models, they'll either kill Everyone else, or give up.”

Colantonio's comments sparked debate about industry terminology and the pros and cons of gaming for customers. Microsoft's subscription service has been called many things over the years: the death of the video game industry; the savior of small developers has benefited greatly from Microsoft for getting games; and everything in between. In the midst of a large Xbox FTC trial, deciding the fate of Microsoft's $69 billion Call of Duty Activision Blizzardand then PlayStation's boss Jim Ryan claimed he had spoken with “all publishers” and agreed that they all hated the game pass “because it's value-destructive.” He also said that Microsoft “seems to lose a lot of money on it.”

Back to 2021, Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Counter Game Pass DOMSAYERsaid: “I know there are a lot of people who like to write (that) that we are burning cash right now so that at the end of the future gold can. No, the game pass is very, very sustainable now.

That was four years ago. Now, after seeing the rare Everwild, the perfect dark reboot and unannounced MMO cuts, all MMOs have been cancelled among the developers behind Elder Older Scrolls Online?

Clantonio's comments have been supported by many industry peers, including Former Biz Dev's former vice president Epic. Michael Douse, publishing director of Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian, explain Now, the biggest concern revolves around what happens when all this money runs out. Duss added that this is “one of the main economic reasons why people I know haven't turned to their business model. Unlimited money never makes any sense.”

(It is worth noting that so far, Baldur's Gate 3 has not yet been launched in Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.)

Clantonio then mocked Microsoft for insisting that pushing games to game passes would not affect sales, Later admitted to the opposite.

douse answer He would say he prefers Sony's way of doing things. Sony's PlayStation Plus policy is to disconnect first-party games from subscription services at launch and add them only after a while. That's why you won't see Sony's Yotei Ghost of PS Plus this year, but you'll see Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 released as a first-day gaming pass.

“Economics never makes any sense, but at the same time, I do realize that for smaller teams with new risk IPs, it helps Derisk,” Duss said. “I really like Sony's 'lifecycle management' strategy.”

“Yes, the only way GP can coexist without harming everyone is for back directories,” Clantonio concluded.

Reports show that Microsoft's layoffs are more about the company's high-profile AI Failed to the game business, but Colantonio suggestion This is the “BS excuse”.

He then continued to insist, “Mathematics is not applicable to Xbox in most publishers/developers, once they stop investing.”

If Microsoft is not sustainable, even eight years after its release, Colantonio was asked why Microsoft continues to push the game pass. He replied that the game pass is not profitable and that Microsoft is still in the “customer acquisition stage” and that the company hopes that one day the subscription revenue will bring a major return on investment.

Colantonio explains that the game pass itself cannot be considered profitable, because you need to consider what Microsoft has spent billions of dollars on getting the subscription service, which includes Bethesda owner Zenimax and Activision Blizzard in the equation. “It's a spreadsheet trick, and they don't put these details in the profit and loss section, but amortize over time,” he claimed.

For gamers, the Game Pass is certainly an incredible deal that can drop subscribers into a long list of games that cost only a small percentage of independent purchases. The game pass is often considered too good because it is cheaper relative to the price offered. This deal feels better when you put every game into your day in one of your game pass launches, including Call of Duty.

But for Colantonio, the game pass trading is “too good”.

“Once MS wins, something that can happen* happens: the game will start sucking and your submarine will rise,” he added. “Why? Because the amazing deals you currently have are fading by bleeding money, hoping they can kill the game, but once they manage to do that, things will become real.”

He added: “…It's a long game that involves throwing tsunamis across the entire ecosystem of the industry. Only gamers love it because the quote is too good to achieve, but ultimately, even gamers hate it when they realize the impact on the game.”

Microsoft has not reported the success of the game financially. Indeed, its report on its gaming business is vague at best. In its last financial report, Microsoft said Xbox content and services grew 8% year-on-year, in part due to growth in Xbox Game Pass. PC gaming revenue increased by 45% year-on-year. However, we don't have updated numbers on how many subscribers there are in the Game Pass, nor how much money it brings.

In an interview in April typeMicrosoft gaming boss Phil Spencer was asked how he viewed the continued role of the gaming pass in the larger Xbox business. Spencer replied that he considered the game pass a “healthy choice for some people” but admitted that “it’s not for everyone.”

“Our biggest growth areas at the moment are PC and Cloud, and that makes sense because consoles are (all) a good business, they are an established business, but they are not really an increasing number of gaming areas,” he said.

“So we’re growing well on PC, and in terms of users and time, on the cloud. And the console is still a really healthy part of the game pass. But the unique need for game passes is the only way people can play games.

“For me, I think of the game pass as a healthy choice for some people. It's not for everyone. If you play one or two games a year, the game pass may not be the right business model for you, then you should only buy those two games, which would make perfect sense. But I hope you have the option. So we're still focusing on all the games on the game pass to buy these games. We can buy more games.

“And, I’m watching the overall time of people playing on Xbox, playing our games, which is a number that continues to grow, and that’s really an indicator of what I think about for success. And, the game pass has been a big part of it, but I’m not trying to solve the game pass alone.

Wesley is IGN's news director. Find him on Twitter via @wyp100. You can reach Wesley via [email protected] or secretly visit [email protected].