Football Manager developer disagrees with PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan's claim that Game Pass is "disruptive to the video game industry" and "unprofitable for publishers"
Sony and Microsoft have taken different stances when it comes to building their gaming portfolios, and the biggest difference is in their approaches to subscriptions. While PlayStation Plus is a complementary service to Sony's flagship offerings, Xbox Game Pass plays a key role in Microsoft's strategy.
The difference in approach between the two companies recently became very apparent when, during Microsoft's legal battle with the FTC, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan called Game Pass "value destructive" and said that publishers viewed the service "unanimously negative". However, it seems that Ryan has embellished his statement a bit...
Here's What We Know
One of the developers who constantly support Game Pass but disagree with these statements is Sports Interactive, a studio known for Football Manager. In a recent interview with Eurogamer, the head of the studio, Miles Jacobson, mentioned this situation and said that Sports Interactive would not enter into a deal with Game Pass if it was not profitable from a business point of view:
"We run quite a tight ship, and I like our studio to be profitable – Sega took a big gamble on us all those years ago, and their shareholders – however weird it might sound – should be rewarded for that. So we don’t tend to do deals that are bad for any parts of the business" That's"We run quite a tight ship, and I like our studio to be profitable – Sega took a big gamble on us all those years ago, and their shareholders – however weird it might sound – should be rewarded for that. So we don’t tend to do deals that are bad for any parts of the business"."
Jacobson went on to explain that the success of Football Manager on Game Pass has allowed Sports Interactive to expand the franchise in other ways, attract new players and help the studio better control the demands of the live service:
"In fact, Game Pass and Apple Arcade have attracted new players to our franchise who have not played our game before. I am confident in the quality of our games and believe that we will be able to retain these players for a long time, regardless of the platforms we operate on. From a financial point of view, it makes sense. From a creative point of view, it also makes sense."
Football Manager has been available on Game Pass for a number of years, and it is likely that this trend will continue this year. Although specific details have not yet been confirmed, Football Manager 2024 is expected to be released in November.
Source: gamingbolt
