There have been debates around subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and whether or not they’re good for the gaming industry. There are a few sides to that argument, and, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, publishers are in the camp that doesn’t much care for Game Pass.
Jim Ryan says many publishers have spoken ill of Game Pass
According to The Verge, Ryan said this while speaking to Fidelity investors in February 2022, which is being played through a video deposition at the Federal Trade Commission trial with Microsoft. He said he talked to “all publishers” and they “unanimously do not like Game Pass, because its value destructive.” Ryan then reiterated that is a “very commonly held view by publishers.”
Ryan did not mention any of the PlayStation Plus tiers and what publishers thought of them. Extra and Premium had not been officially announced as of February 2022, but the base tier (before it was called Essential) did exist and, much like it does now, offered around three games per month.
Publishers haven’t spoken much publicly about Game Pass, but many developers have praised the access it affords them. Double Fine, Capcom, Cococucumber, Mobius Digital, Night School Studio, and Turtle Rock Studios are just some of the few studios to applaud the service.
