A former PlayStation Boss has commented on Game Pass, stating that it isn’t inspiring for game developers and makes them “wage slaves.”
Game Pass is Xbox’s premium subscription service, providing console, PC, and cloud players with access to a library of games for a fee. Every month, waves of new games are added to the service, ranging from large-scale AAA to solo indie titles. However, many have wondered whether putting your games on subscription services like Game Pass can be profitable for developers, and the former PlayStation boss has weighed in on the topic.
Game Pass is ‘Not Creating Value’
During an interview with GameIndustry.Biz, former Sony Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden spoke candidly about Game Pass as a service. Layden first said that there are many debates about Game Pass profitability, but that’s “not the right question to ask.” Companies can do all kinds of financial jiggery-pokery for any sort of corporate service to make it look profitable.” The real question here would be, is Game Pass “healthy for the developer”?
Layden elaborates that the subscription model of Game Pass makes developers essentially “wage slaves”. The service is “not creating value” by putting the game in the marketplace, hoping that it does well, and then profit sharing and overages. According to Layden, it’s more like “You pay me X dollars an hour, I built you a game, here, go put it on your servers.” He concluded, stating he doesn’t think Game Pass is “really inspiring for game developers”.
In other news, the Xbox Game Pass wave 1 for August 2025 has been revealed, and it includes Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Additionally, Sarah Bond has joined the board of directors at Tyson Foods while retaining her position at Xbox. Do you agree with the former PlayStation boss stating Game Pass makes developers “wage slaves”? Let us know through the official Insider Gaming forums discussion.
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