Different studios and publishers have different views on Game Pass subscriptions. Some are happy to release their projects via subscription immediately after release, others see it as an opportunity to gain an audience of players and additional income when the game loses popularity, while some teams and developers have a negative attitude towards the game subscription service.
One of the developers who spoke about his position on Game Pass is David Symansky (known for the games DUSK and Gloomwood). According to him, subscription services like Game Pass could eventually lead to the extinction of the indie developer industry. He believes this will happen if Game Pass replaces the traditional game purchasing model:
Game Pass scares me. If it or a similar subscription service replaces the current store model, I’m sure it will be the end for the indie game market.
[…] Yes, now Game Pass can be useful for indies, but I’m talking about the situation in the future – when the model completely captures the market, as happened with the film and music segments, where it is already “hell for indies.” If the game subscription model works like it does for movies and music, then developers will get paid a pittance compared to how many people play their games. It will be cents or even less. […] I want to believe that this model will cease to exist. I don’t blame anyone for using it, since it’s convenient and all, but…
Xbox executives have repeatedly noted that Game Pass will not replace a regular digital store with games, and subscriptions should be treated as another way to obtain content.
