There has been considerable discussion in recent weeks about whether the rise of subscription services has been beneficial or detrimental to the gaming industry. While some view free launch-day game subscription service models as bad for business and game developers, at least one developer has taken a different perspective. In a recent interview, the game director of indie game Sword of the Sea, Matt Nava, said that their free PS Plus release was one of the reasons that the game was ultimately saved.
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In a Skill Up interview, Nava expressed gratitude for the partnership with PlayStation, which helped the development team overcome their โrockyโ beginnings.
โWeโve had some really fantastic partners over at the PlayStation Indies program who believed in this project from the very beginning,โ said Nava. โWhen times got tough, they came in and they saved usโฆ It was really down to a couple of individuals over there who decided that it was worth fighting for [and keeping] this project alive.โ
Indie surfing adventure game Sword of the Sea was released this week to positive reviews, which praised the gameโs fun mechanics and beautiful art style. Based on what Nava said in the interview with Skill Up, itโs possible that players would have been deprived of this experience if PlayStation hadnโt stepped in with their deal to release the game for free on PlayStation Plus.
โThe PlayStation Indies department collaborated to do some internal deals and make sure we could get this thing out,โ Nava explained. โItโs a little bit odd that weโre going to be on [PS Plus] day oneโฆitโs a trade-off because if youโre on there, Sonyโs going to push your game moreโฆtheyโre more invested in it.โ
While this instance seems to be a clear example of indie developers winning with subscription services like PlayStation Plus, how have other smaller titles recently fared on the service? Last year, indie game Animal Well, published by video game YouTuber Videogamedunkey, also received the free on-launch day treatment through PS Plus. The game ended up being a hit, and the gameโs developer, Billy Basso, told Gamefile he was surprised by how well things unfolded.
โThe launch went really well, and I think I still havenโt opened myself up to realizing how well itโs done and what that means,โ said Basso.
Positive indie sentiment toward PlayStation appears to have shifted from its previous perception. In 2021, before the revamp of PlayStation Plus, Neon Doctrine co-founder and CEO Iain Garner criticized the company in a lengthy Twitter thread without directly naming them for forcing developers to โjump through hoopsโ and making it difficult to know how to succeed on the platform. The marked change in perception towards PlayStation from recent indie successes suggests that not only are indies doing well with PlayStation Plus, but that PlayStation Plus may be part of the reason for the friendlier indie relations.
This is good news, as US subscription spending has been on the rise, and gamers are increasingly resistant to paying the full price for games. Earlier this year, video game subscriptions broke an all-time monthly record while gamers essentially revolted over announced plans from industry players to increase the prices of holiday releases.
Will gaming transition to a subscription monetization model in the future, similar to how Spotify works for music, and would such a change ultimately benefit or harm the artists who produce this content? There doesnโt seem to be a clear answer to this question yet, though it seems like we may find out in the near future.