Tag: devs’
Why Xbox Game Pass Is So Attractive For Devs, Whether It Cannibalizes Sales Or Not
Xbox Game Pass has quickly taken hold in the industry, representing a strategic shift for Microsoft that eschews a key part of the traditional model of console competition: namely, directly buying games. The subscription service offers an all-you-can-eat buffet of games from Microsoft itself, as well as third-party developers that Microsoft has partnered with to host its games. But how much does it benefit developers?
That question hasn’t been answered clearly, especially since the answer seems to vary by studios and the terms of agreements are not disclosed. Microsoft has not specified exactly how it makes deals, but comments from various developers suggest that it tailors the terms of each deal individually. Xbox head Phil Spencer told The Verge that the deals are “all over the place.” Microsoft seemed to concede recently that Game Pass can cannibalize game sales, but quickly clarified that it works with publishers to maximize their profits on an individual basis, while allowing room for “creativity and innovation.”
You won’t find many people in the industry more vocally positive about Game Pass than Mike Rose, founder of independent publisher No More Robots. He’s made a point of talking publicly about how Game Pass has helped his own company’s games, most recently in a detailed talk at GDC 2023. That talk, titled Why I Chose Game Pass: No More Robots Talks About Growing their Audience for Let’s Build a Zoo, went into an unusual level of detail and insight about the multiple benefits of putting Let’s Build a Zoo on Game Pass.
Mutant Year Zero devs’ new strategy game Miasma Chronicles arrives in May
The studio behind Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden – The Bearded Ladies – have announced a release date for their next game: May 23rd. Miasma Chronicles is another post-apocalyptic tactical RPG, but this time it replaces the anthropomorphic pigs with a friendly robot – who the trailer refers to as your big brother, I should add. Spiritually rather than biologically, of course. If you’re not sold yet, Miasma Chronicles will be showing up to tomorrow’s Future Games Show.
Disco Elysium lawsuit woes continue as fired devs double down on claims of fraud at Studio ZA/UM
The already troubled goings-on at ZA/UM – the studio that developed Disco Elysium – have gotten messier than Harry’s own apartment. Last week ZA/UM announced that one of its legal disputes had been resolved and that they expected the rest of their legal troubles to “fall apart.” But fired game director Robert Kurvitz and art director Aleksander Rostov took the oppurtunity to double down on their lawsuit and dispute the studio’s claims, calling them “wrong and misleading in several respects.”
Monster Train dev’s unique turn-based action RPG releases this week
Should the Hitman Devs Be Xbox’s Next Acquisition Target? – Unlocked 586
Hitman developer IO Interactive is starting to talk about its new online fantasy-RPG project. Plus it’s got a James Bond 007 game in the works. We discuss those, and then debate whether or not they might – or should – be Xbox’s next acquisition target. Plus: Zombie Telltale is saying all of right things about its decision to delay The Wolf Among Us 2 into next year, guest panelist Cameron Hawkins agrees to take one for the team and eat a KFC Double Down in order to get Diablo 4 beta access, and more!
Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out our interview with Todd Howard, who answered all of our Starfield questions after the big reveal at the Xbox Showcase:
For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
Wide Ocean Big Jacket devs launch their beautifully minimalist farming sim
Just last week, Alice0 wrote about Before The Green Moon, an endearing hybrid between slice-of-life adventure and farming sim that’s set at the base of a space elevator. It was cute and intriguing, and best of all it was coming from Turnfollow, the devs behind Little Party and Wide Ocean Big Jacket – two small, but awesome, story-centric indies. A mere week after being announced Before The Green Moon snuck past us and launched into full release. Just yesterday, in fact.
Valheim Devs Have No Current Plans to Release on PlayStation
Bleak Faith devs respond to allegations of stolen Elden Ring animations
Indie Soulslike Bleak Faith: Forsaken launched earlier this week on March 10th, and as expected, it shares lots of similarities with FromSoft games such as Elden Ring and Dark Souls: an interconnected world, big boss battles, animation-heavy combat, and so on. But comparisons began to surface online showcasing mirrored animations between Bleak Faith and FromSoft’s titles, leading to accusations of stolen assets, as reported by PC Gamer. Archangel have now responded to the allegations of plagiarism, pointing to the Epic Marketplace where the team purchased the assets.