Shuei Yoshida prefers PlayStation's approach to Xbox's when it comes to subscription services that include a catalog of games.
Xbox has based much of its strategy on Game Pass, but some bigwigs in the video game industry still question this type of model. This is particularly the case for Shuei Yoshida, former head of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), and by extension of the PlayStation division.
He explains his point of view in an interview with Game Developer. “If the only way for people to play games is through subscriptions, it’s really dangerous, because the type of games that can be created will be dictated by the owner of the subscription services,” he believes. According to him, leaving big companies to decide which games can and cannot be developed will not advance the gaming industry.
Is Game Pass “dangerous” for third-party studios and players?
“I think the way Sony has approached [subscriptions, editor’s note] is more sensible. It’s about not overpromising and allowing players to spend money to buy the new games. After a few years, few people will be willing to buy these games at that initial price. So they will be added to the subscription service and more people will be able to try them before the next game in the franchise comes out,” he continues. Here, he directly criticizes Game Pass’s day-one policy, while acknowledging that he is not entirely objective as a former Sony employee.
So far, the dangers described by Shuei Yoshida have not materialized. On the contrary, Game Pass has a very diverse catalog of games. All genres are represented, as well as all scales, from small independent titles to large AAA productions. We also note that the presence of games from the day of their release on Game Pass does not mean a lack of sales, as we saw with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 recently.
When it comes to distributing good points to the competition, Shuei Yoshida applauds Xbox's backward compatibility policy and the Switch's dual Joy-Con, allowing immediate multiplayer.
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