Summary

  • Alex Hutchinson feels that Xbox Game Pass as the sole method of accessing games could be dangerous for the industry.
  • In the past, others have highlighted concerns of Xbox Game Pass leading to a shift towards more live-service titles.

Alex Hutchinson, the creative director of Revenge of the Savage Planet, has commented on Xbox Game Pass, calling it a potentially dangerous method of distributing games. Hutchinson began his career as a lead designer on The Sims 2, but he's best known for his work as creative director on Assassin's Creed 3 and Far Cry 4. Later in his career, the Australian developer co-founded Typhoon Studios, which created Journey to the Savage Planet, the predecessor to Revenge of the Savage Planet.

Typhoon Studios was eventually shut down by Google Stadia, which had acquired the studio shortly after the announcement of Journey to the Savage Planet. However, Alex Hutchinson, along with some core members of the original team, went on to form a new studio, Raccoon Logic, to develop a sequel to their first action-adventure metroidvania game. From this new studio came Revenge of the Savage Planet, which was also targeted by Microsoft as a day-one Xbox Game Pass release.

Revenge of the Savage Planet Review
Revenge of the Savage Planet Review

Revenge of the Savage Planet improves on its predecessor in every way, introducing new beasts, weapons, collectibles, and plenty of absurdity.

3
By 

A couple of days after Revenge of the Savage Planet was released, Alex Hutchinson joined the hosts of the Quad Damage Podcast to discuss the development journey he and his team have experienced since Stadia's shutdown. One of the key topics he addressed during the interview was the impact of Xbox Game Pass on a game's sales. When asked whether gaming subscriptions like Game Pass help or hurt a game's launch, Hutchinson responded, "[Xbox Game Pass] is okay as part of the ecosystem… It's very dangerous as the only [way to purchase or access a game]."

Game Pass Should Not Become the Netflix of Gaming

Alex Hutchinson also drew a comparison between Xbox Game Pass and on-demand video and music subscriptions like Netflix and Spotify. He argued that subscription-based distribution hasn't been beneficial for the music and film industries, adding that the video game industry is currently in a better position than those sectors. Previously, some critics have also highlighted the potential downsides of Xbox Game Pass, suggesting that Microsoft's deals with game developers and publishers could eventually encourage a shift toward more live-service titles, which may harm the industry in various ways.

Towards the end of the interview, Hutchinson also discussed the possibility of Revenge of the Savage Planet being ported to Nintendo's next-gen console. He noted that he and his team at Raccoon Logic are exploring the idea and would love to be part of the Nintendo Switch 2 lineup. However, he also pointed out that Nintendo hasn't always been welcoming to third-party games, and bringing Revenge of the Savage Planet to its new console could be quite challenging.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Revenge of the Savage Planet Tag Page Cover Art
9 /10

Revenge of the Savage Planet
Display card tags widget
Adventure
Action
Display card system widget
Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
Display card community and brand rating widget Display card open critics widget
Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 74%
Display card main info widget
Released
May 8, 2025
Developer(s)
Raccoon Logic
Publisher(s)
Raccoon Logic
PC Release Date
May 8, 2025
Xbox Series X|S Release Date
May 8, 2025
PS5 Release Date
May 8, 2025
Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start Display card media widget end

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Genre(s)
Adventure, Action