Thomas Mahler, CEO at Moon Studios, has some choice words for Xbox Game Pass. Comparing the subscription service to communism, Mahler says that a service like Game Pass doesn't incentivise developers to "go the extra mile" with their games. If that were the case, we'd see more smash hit games, which something like Game Pass needs to keep subscribers and draw more in.
"The Game Pass strategy could've worked if people would've shown up for it. Problem is they didn't, and the software catalog was just nowhere near good enough to make people happily pay the subscription every month," Mahler explained on social media. He went onto say that the idea of something being new is very important to gamers, meaning they're constantly looking for fresh content that's better than what they had before.
"You need those games your studios are producing to become smash hits, cultural events that everyone wants to play - but what was the big Xbox game in recent years that was just delightfully good? That game doesn't exist. Almost every single first party studio in recent years has been floundering. You'd want Bethesda to create a 'Skyrim in Space' that ought to be better than Skyrim was cause that was an old game: But we got Starfield instead," Mahler continued.
Xbox Game Pass has had a lot of titles available to players, and continues to offer one of the best bargains in gaming if you're willing to play everything that comes out on there. Call of Duty was on there until recently, but it is hard to think of a series of blockbuster titles that could've sold Game Pass like the subscription service it wanted to be. One or two titles stand out every year, but some players would rather just buy them than get them via a monthly bill.
