Analyst says launching games on Game Pass at release can avoid major risks for some titles

Game Pass is a service that gets better every day. Microsoft keeps adding new games to the service and has even managed to bring big releases from other companies at launch, such as Outriders and MLB The Show 21. Many wonder whether the approach used by Game Pass is good for third-party developers, since in theory the game would be available to consumers on the service for a very low price… so far we still don’t know how the service works (on the developers’ side).

Recently an analyst from Ampere Analysis, Piers Harding-Rolls, spoke up, claiming that Game Pass is a safe haven for games that don’t have exorbitant sales in their first days. He explained:

“For some titles, launching day one on Game Pass is an increasingly risk-averse strategy. It guarantees a payment upfront, offers an engaged audience of more than 18 million subscribers who can still be monetized through in-game spending, and there is the flexibility to remove the title to boost premium sales at a later date, if needed.

“Those titles that are not top-tier in terms of sales volume or that are based on a new IP – that is, do not have an established audience – can be solid candidates for day-one launches.”

“From Microsoft’s point of view, even paying a substantial amount to secure the game at launch is worth it. Microsoft is not thinking about short-term profitability, as it continues its aggressive path of acquiring content and subscribers for Game Pass. Competitively, the optics of this move are strong and keep building Game Pass’s momentum.”

Do you agree with the analyst?

Source: GamingBolt