Why PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass, And Apple Arcade Worry Devolver

Subscription services in gaming are growing in popularity and prominence. One of the most recent introductions was Apple’s Arcade offering, while Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus came before that. These services, and others like them, are worrying in some regards to boutique games publisher Devolver Digital (Hotline Miami, Genital Jousting).

Co-founder Graeme Struthers told GameSpot that the increasing popularity of subscription services is a worry because it could lead to a situation where games get buried. The thinking is that subscription packages are so stuffed with games that subscribers might have difficulty finding something to play (anyone who has used Netflix is aware of this phenomenon).

“The world of subscription is a worry. And we’re active in these areas, so we can’t stand on the sidelines and just complain about these things. Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and Apple Arcade, they are things we are participating in,” he explained. “You do wonder if it’s going to lead to a situation where there is so much content that you kind of fall off the edge. That’s the one that keeps us up at night. That and Donald Trump, and Boris Johnson.”

Microsoft’s data regarding Xbox Game Pass paints a more positive picture of the impact that the service can have on its users. Just recently, ID@Xbox boss Agostino Simonetta told GI.biz that subscribers are playing 40 percent more games, which includes titles outside of the Game Pass library. Additionally, 91 percent of polled subscribers said they played a title they otherwise would not have tried were it not in the catalogue. Additionally, Microsoft’s data says members are playing 30 percent more games than before subscribing.

Also in our interview, Struthers explained to GameSpot that he’s excited about the future of gaming as it relates to the next-generation consoles coming out in 2020 and also the depth and breadth of games being made. “The diversity in every sense of that word of games creators and what kinds of games are being released is great,” Struthers said.

One of Devolver’s next games is the whimsical battle royale game where you don’t kill anyone, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, which launches in 2020 for PC and PS4.