Game developers are speaking up in defense of Xbox Game Pass in the wake of the subscription service's most recent price hikes , specifically on its importance for indie discoverability. "I can attest personally that people on Game Pass actually do try out small indie games, to the tune of staggering numbers," Bulwark solodev Tomas Sala writes on Twitter , responding to an argument that price increases could reflect Microsoft 's commitment to making Game Pass work [via GamesIndustry.biz ].
"On top of that, more platforms, with more diverse business models, with more diverse deal types, actually makes for more opportunities for indie devs. Not less." It makes sense that many Xbox fans have not taken the news lightly.
It feels like just yesterday that the Game Pass prices went up again right before Starfield launched – to absolutely no one's surprise. But Sala offers a different perspective to assertions that "Game Pass has irreversibly damaged the industry", as Twitter user Ryan T. Brown says.
Sala isn't the only indie developer clapping back at those declaring the death of Game Pass and Xbox as we knew it. Citizen Sleeper designer Gareth Damian Martin was quick to challenge Ryan's viewpoint in a reply Tweet : "Game Pass has been an important part of Citizen Sleeper’s success and has led to more players buying the game, not less. Without Game Pass there would have been no opportunity to do the sequel.
I know many indies whose projects have massively benefited." Martin goes.
