Xbox Game Pass can be a pretty good deal for subscribers, but there’s long been a debate about whether or not the service is actually good for the video game industry. There are a lot of concerns about whether the existence of the service cuts into the actual sales of games, and what that trade-off might be. This debate has kicked back up following the release of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The RPG was a day one release on the platform, and some fans think sales would be better without it. In a post on X/Twitter, Pocketpair communications director and publishing manager John “Bucky” Buckley weighed in, sharing his experience with Palworld and Craftopia.
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“Expedition 33 is the latest game to get unwillingly dragged through gaming Twitter as people debate the viability of Game Pass,” wrote Bucky. “I feel like I’ve just a little more knowledge on the topic than most so I’ll just say yes, yes it is very worth having your game on Game Pass.”
Palworld has been available on Xbox Game Pass since launching last year, so Buckley has a lot more background with how Game Pass works, and the overall value of launching on day one. However, Buckley was quick to note that “I’ve no experience working in the AAA space so I’m not sure what sort of deals are cooked up there.” Basically, he can only weigh in as an indie developer, and it’s harder to say whether it’s just as lucrative for those that release bigger games. Still, we’ve seen just how much attention Palworld has gotten, and a lot of buzz came from players trying it first on Game Pass, which might have led to sales on platforms like Steam and PS5.
The ironic part about this debate is that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is off to a very strong start! The RPG has been on the market for less than a week, and it has already sold more than 1 million units across PC, PS5, and Xbox. That’s a really impressive number for a new franchise, and it’s hard to imagine how being on Xbox Game Pass could have hurt sales. If anything, people talking about the game on social media because of Xbox Game Pass might have sold more copies on other platforms.
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As long as Xbox Game Pass exists, there’s bound to be debate about whether the service hurts or helps game sales. There’s clearly been some impact on the sales of Microsoft’s own first-party games, all of which are day one releases on the service. That much is undeniable, but when it comes to third-party games, it seems developers are pretty happy with it. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters!
Do you think Xbox Game Pass has a negative impact on game sales? Should the service have fewer day one releases? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: GameSpot]
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