Developer Disputes PlayStation’s Xbox Game Pass Criticism
A well-known game studio hits back at PlayStation’s claims that developers and publishers dislike Xbox Game Pass for being ‘value destructive.’
Sports Interactive Director Miles Jacobson hit back at Sony’s recent criticism of the Xbox Game Pass. During Microsoft’s federal trial with the FTC over its proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition, it came to light that PlayStation’s Jim Ryan called Xbox Game Pass destructive, positing that “all” major publishers “unanimously” dislike the service.
While Microsoft’s attorneys questioned Ryan’s suggestion that he speaks for the entire industry, the Sony Computer Interactive CEO insisted that this unfavorable perspective of Xbox Game Pass was a commonly held view across the gaming space. This wasn’t the first that the executive pushed back against the $68.7 billion deal, as Ryan repeatedly met with regulators over the Activision Blizzard acquisition since Microsoft announced its blockbuster buyout attempt in early 2022.
Ryan’s latest criticism of Xbox Game Pass has now been directly disputed by Jacobson, with the Sports Interactive boss asserting that PlayStation doesn’t speak for all third-party developers and publishers. Elaborating on that point in a recent interview with Eurogamer, Jacobson said that “different games work well in different situations,” suggesting that generalized statements like Ryan’s claim that “all” publishers dislike Xbox Game Pass have little basis in reality. From Sports Interactive’s perspective, the decision to bring Football Manager to Xbox Game Pass yielded extremely positive results, not least because it massively expanded the reach of the studio’s flagship series, Jacobson revealed.
Sports Interactive’s parent company appears to share that sentiment, as Sega previously went on record to praise Xbox Game Pass, citing it as a major factor driving the continued growth of its numerous franchises. Apart from Football Manager, the Japanese publisher has so far brought many games from the Yakuza and Persona series to Xbox Game Pass. Its partnership with Microsoft has also been deepening in recent times, as underlined by the fact that the recently announced Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica will be day-one Xbox Game Pass releases, which is a first for this long-running JRPG franchise.
Asked about the recent revelation that Microsoft considered buying Sega prior to proposing the Activision Blizzard acquisition, Jacobson said he had no knowledge of that possibility. The Sports Interactive chief explained that he’s “normally” informed about such high-level developments, implying Microsoft never entered any serious acquisition talks with Sega
Sports Interactive’s willingness to support subscription-based game services doesn’t end with Xbox Game Pass; back in late 2022, the UK studio decided to launch Football Manager 2023 Touch as an Apple Arcade exclusive. Some half a year later, Sony added a time-limited trial of Football Manager 2023 to the list of its PS Plus Premium perks.
Official Xbox Products
