Summary
- Palworld community manager Bucky defended the viability of Xbox Game Pass.
- "It is very worth having your game on Game Pass," the Pocketpair official said.
- To date, Pocketpair launched two games on Xbox Game Pass and was "very happy with both."
Palworld community manager Bucky has recently taken to social media to defend Xbox Game Pass, asserting that launching games on Microsoft's subscription service is a worthwhile endeavor for indie developers. Bucky pointed to his experience with Palworld and one other title as the basis for his strong belief in the value of Xbox Game Pass.
The long-term viability of Microsoft's subscription service has been a long-standing topic of debate among industry watchers and gamers alike. Microsoft itself is on record as acknowledging that Xbox Game Pass "cannibalizes" sales—a fact that continues to fuel ongoing debate about the service’s impact on the commercial success of individual games. Another such discussion has recently emerged following the arrival of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a widely acclaimed RPG that was a day-one Xbox Game Pass release.
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Bucky, the community manager for Palworld developer Pocketpair, was among the many who joined the ensuing debate. Taking to social media on April 28, Bucky asserted that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was being "unwillingly dragged through gaming Twitter" as part of yet another discussion on the Xbox Game Pass viability. "I feel like I’ve just a little more knowledge on the topic than most, so I’ll just say yes, yes it is very worth having your game on Game Pass," the community manager said.
Pocketpair Was 'Very Happy' With Both of Its Xbox Game Pass Launches
Elaborating on this train of thought, Bucky explained that he only speaks from his perspective as an indie developer. To date, Pocketpair has launched two Xbox Game Pass titles—Craftopia and Palworld—and was "very happy with both," the community manager said. Beyond the indie space, Bucky said he doesn't have any special insight into how things work or "what sort of deals are cooked."
I feel like I’ve just a little more knowledge on the topic than most, so I’ll just say yes, yes it is very worth having your game on Game Pass.
Pocketpair is the latest in a long line of companies to publicly defend Microsoft’s subscription service in recent years. Sega, Sports Interactive, and Rebellion Developments are among the many others who have done the same. Recently, Doom creator John Romero also came out in defense of Xbox Game Pass, claiming that the platform makes gaming more accessible while being an overall win for everyone, from developers to players.
Microsoft's No Longer Sharing Regular Xbox Game Pass Growth Updates
For the first four and a half years after launching the service, Microsoft regularly reported on the growth of Xbox Game Pass. However, the last such update came in January 2022, when the company announced that the platform had surpassed 25 million active subscribers. Two years later, in February 2024, Microsoft reported 34 million Xbox Game Pass users, but that figure included XGP Core subscribers, who were previously not counted alongside other members back when that service was still called Games with Gold. This reduced transparency in reporting is widely seen as a sign that Xbox Game Pass growth has slowed significantly. Be that as it may, that's not to say that the service in its current form and with its existing subscriber base isn't already sustainable.
