The Head of ID@Xbox Says Game Pass Isn't "Disruptive", It's "Additive"
According to Charla, Game Pass users are still buying games, so the subscription service is not adversely affecting sales.
Chris Charla, the director of ID@Xbox, recently addressed concerns from developers and publishers about the potential negative impact of Game Pass on game sales and the gaming industry.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Charla noted that while it's normal for business representatives to express their worries about subscription services, there isn't a significant threat posed by them.
"When free-to-play came to consoles, there were a lot of people who thought this was going to completely change everything, every game will become free-to-play and nobody will be able to get people to purchase a video game again. But that's not what happened," he said. "But were those concerns valid, rational, normal, and healthy? Absolutely. It is all our jobs in the games industry to take those concerns seriously, to think about them, and work together to make the industry work."
Charla pointed out that Game Pass users are still purchasing games, which leads him to believe that the subscription service isn't having a negative impact on sales.
According to him, Game Pass is an "additive" business model, meaning that it adds value to the industry rather than taking away from it. He believes that the industry should look for more additive business models like Game Pass, similar to how digital distribution, while somewhat disruptive to the retail space, ultimately brought value to the industry.
Charla highlighted that Game Pass subscribers are now exploring and playing new genres more than ever, which he sees as a positive sign for the subscription service's future success. Additionally, he noted that developers had shown keen interest in Game Pass, with some returning to Microsoft to release their subsequent games on the service after initial success.
At the same time, the head of ID@Xbox emphasized that while Game Pass is a valuable tool, it isn't a cure-all and cannot guarantee player engagement for every game. According to him, Game Pass is just one of the many resources available to developers to help them reach their audience.
"When I think of our job as a platform holder, it's to look holistically at the discovery issue and find lots of different solutions to it. There's not going to be one magic bullet to solve the discovery problems for players or for developers," he said. "I think Game Pass is one great tool, but there are certainly others."
Towards the end of the conversation, the executive reassured that Microsoft's internal studio development and the potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard would not impact the company's commitment to collaborating with third-party and independent studios. Charla affirmed that independent developers have always been, and will continue to be, "the foundation of Xbox."
You can learn more by reading the full interview here. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
