Arkane Studios Founder Calls Game Pass ‘Unsustainable’ and ‘Damaging’ to the Industry
Raphael Colantonio, the founder of Arkane Studios, which is known for games like Dishonored and Prey, strongly criticized the business model of Xbox Game Pass. He shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter), following the recent layoffs at Microsoft.
Colantonio described Game Pass as an “unsustainable model” that has been increasingly damaging the industry for a decade. He believes the service only exists due to financial backing from Microsoft, but “at some point, reality has to hit.”
Arkane Studios Founder Criticizes Xbox Game Pass
Colantonio stated that Game Pass cannot coexist with other business models, arguing that it will either dominate and eliminate the competition or eventually be abandoned.
He 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.”
Michael Douse, Publishing Director at Larian Studios, supported this statement, pointing to a major concern in the industry. He explained, “What happens when all that money runs out?” is the most vocal concern in my network, and one of the main economic reasons people I know haven’t shifted to its business model. The infinite money thing never made any sense.”
The main complaint from both developers is the “cannibalization” of sales. They worry that putting games exclusively on Game Pass hurts direct sales because users only pay for the subscription, while studios get a one-time payment from Microsoft.
Although Douse agreed that the subscription helps lower risks for smaller studios, he mentioned that its advantages stop there. He suggested Sony’s way of handling game lifecycles as a better option.
Despite the criticism Microsoft has received recently, Game Pass is still a strong service with many great games. Whether retro games, indie titles, or the AAA releases, it continues to offer a lot of choices for players.
In related news, a report reveals that games on Xbox Game Pass lose up to 80% of expected sales, though the service helps improve visibility and player engagement
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