Yesterday, a story came out that the Game Pass gold rush is over. Xbox isn’t focusing on Game Pass as much and aren’t paying nearly what they once did and because of it developers weren’t getting the funding they had hoped for. Epic is also supposedly cutting way back on funding.
Some took it as yet more doom & gloom for Xbox, and others, like myself had more questions than answers. So I went in search of answers myself and spoke to a few indie developers. Most didn’t want to speak on the record, but their sentiments were all the same.
“The money is still there, it’s just harder to get” was how one put it. Gone are the days when Xbox would accept just about any game sent their way. They needed ample amounts of content back then and were willing to accept what they could get. They were definitely in quantity over quality mode.
Now that they have a very large first party portfolio to fund, on top of the out of control budgets in the industry, they are a bit more cautious when it comes to funding. But that’s not to say they won’t.
Enter the man who was was willing to speak on record, The Falconeer and the recent Bulwark:Falconeer Chronicles developer Tomas Sala, who echoes a lot of those same sentiments.
“I think the industry is just in a shift , at the same time that economic fortunes are changing.” Says Sala, who has experience with Game Pass and Xbox in general (The Falconeer was an Xbox Series X launch exclusive).
“But I don’t believe things are as dire as some are saying. Deals are still being made , platforms still need games to sell or stream to their subscribers and will need to pay to acquire them.”
Indeed, as Sala says, we see almost weekly new games going into these subscription services. Xbox needs content to keep flowing and keep subscribers engaged. But this is where he sees the biggest difference, and it’s not just dealing with Xbox, but all platforms and subscriptions.
“You’ll need to bring more to the table to succeed, better pitches and often hard data that shows your game is likely to succeed or has succeeded. That isn’t necessarily an unsurmountable obstacle for those experienced and prepared for it.”
And let’s be clear here, this is just one developers experiences and thoughts. Every developer is different, and each deal these developers go for is different. But Xbox is in a position where it needs not just content anymore, it needs results. This is where Sala hopes not just Xbox, but all platforms get back to a bit more.
“I feel platforms and storefronts have a responsibility to also take some risks on culturally or artistic content. Games that aren’t there to make it rain, but enhance our field and art. Those are likely to suffer first because they feel like a luxury, but in a industry where “addiction” is a byword for succes and stagnation failure, our societal goodwill and capacity to innovate aren’t luxuries.”
That is potentially one downfall of how things are being run now. Indie games are some of the most creative ambitious projects out there and they need that funding to survive and I agree with Sala’s comments. There needs to be a balance between money making and taking risks. I get it’s a business not a charity, but sometimes it’s worth the risk when the reward can be an outstanding experience.
So while to some it may seem like Xbox and other platforms/subscriptions might be cutting funding to indies, the reality might just be they are being smarter with their money.
One Response
It is clear that from its start, GamePass tended to be a free for all and that had its merits but as gaming changes – and let’s be honest here – the landscape is changing daily right now, it becomes unsustainable.
Also, info devs need those actual sales and can’t offset the loss of sales that GamePass sometimes brings with it.
For anyone in the games world right now, I feel that Xbox is giving out so many different and ambiguous signals, that no one really know how to act with or around Xbox.
That is not good for anyone at all.