Day-one game pass is great for consumers, but a gamble for indie developers

Xbox Game Pass is arguably a pretty good deal for consumers, assuming you are someone who plays a large variety of games. It adds recent game of the year winners in addition to potential future winners like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, sometimes on launch day. But for developers, especially small indie developers where every dollar matters, the subscription service isn't as clearly a good or bad deal. In fact, for every indie success story from the platform, there always seems to be a developer unhappy with its Game Pass launch deal. So, exactly how risky is it to launch on Game Pass, and should developers think a little harder about joining the service?

Xbox Game Pass does reduce sales

Not exactly a revelation

One of the major knocks against Xbox Game Pass is that it lowers game sales, something that Microsoft has directly said so (via GameSpot), and anecdotal reports are that the percentage can be as high as 80% (via The FPS Review). Now, to me, this is kind of an obvious statement. If a $70 new video game is on a $20 a month subscription service, people are going to opt for the subscription service over buying the game, and to be frank, anyone expecting otherwise is optimistic, to put it nicely. In a GDC 2022 presentation, Microsoft did state that Game Pass subscribers spend more money than non-subscribers, but that doesn't necessarily mean that money is on games in Game Pass. I personally subscribe to Game Pass and buy a ton of games, but I also cover video games, so I would say I'm an outlier compared to most consumers.

To compare directly to streaming services like Netflix, there is one major difference, although the impact is unclear. If Netflix releases an original film on its streaming platform, most of the time, that is the only way to watch it. Netflix wants to force people to subscribe to watch shows, meaning that subscriptions are the only way to make money from that film. Games on Xbox Game Pass are still being sold outside the service, both on Xbox and other platforms, allowing games to potentially make money from both revenue streams. Microsoft has not shared any hard numbers, though, so we don't know for sure if that really makes a difference in terms of sales.

Game Pass can lead to additional purchases, but it doesn't always

People might buy DLC

Alex Hutchison of Raccoon Logic recently said that Xbox Game Pass devalues games, shortly after launching Revenge of the Savage Planet on Xbox Game Pass (via GameRant). He argued, after feeling like his game did not benefit from being on the subscription service, that it had trained Xbox players not to buy games. Hutchison specifically called out that Raccoon Logic had hoped that Game Pass players would pick up the launch DLC for the game, a $10 pack that contains a couple of bonus quests and cosmetics. In 2023, the developer of Let's Build a Zoo shared the opposite story (via GameSpot), saying that the DLC for the game sold at 4 times the rate as the base game on Xbox.

While Revenge of the Savage Planet clearly didn't benefit from a Game Pass launch the way the developers might have hoped, there are other factors here. The game launched on May 8, placing it between several heavy hitters on Game Pass, with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 coming out a few weeks prior and Doom: The Dark Ages coming just a week later. That's not a failure of Raccoon Logic by any means, but getting squeezed out on Game Pass is a possibility that indie developers will need to consider.

Some developers are unsure if Xbox is worth supporting at all

Game Pass isn't that enticing if there aren't players on Xbox

Another topic of conversation here is whether the Xbox is worth supporting for indie developers, a conversation that impacts the viability of Xbox Game Pass. While the subscription service doesn't seem to have lost subscribers, it has created a strange ecosystem. Often, it feels like the only games worth my time coming to Xbox are Xbox Game Pass. That isn't actually true, but the way that the Xbox store and dashboard surface games, it's almost always showing me Xbox Game Pass games. Edmond Tran of SkillUp spoke with several developers in May 2024, and the sentiment seemed to be that developing for Xbox was not a worthwhile use of resources and time, if an indie game wasn't going on Game Pass. With more and more examples of developers not seeing success launching on Xbox Game Pass, it might become an issue where developing for Xbox at all isn't worthwhile for indie developers.

There are multiple big indie success stories on Game Pass in 2025

It still seems like the gamble can still pay off

It needs to be said that while there are failures, or perhaps less successful games, that launched on Xbox Game Pass in 2025, there are also several huge hits. Two of the best-reviewed independent games of 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Blue Prince, both launched on Game Pass and saw massive success. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sold 3.3 million copies in just over a month, making it a huge success. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector launched on Game Pass in January, and the series passed two million players in May. The Palworld development team has been extremely vocal that launching on Xbox Game Pass benefited the game (via ComicBook). While there are downsides, and it's clearly not a guarantee, it's clear that indie developers can still see success while launching on Game Pass.

But did Xbox Game Pass help those games?

Sure, there is some marketing, but these games also had great reviews and strong word of mouth

Due to some of the secrecy surrounding Xbox Game Pass, we don't actually know if these games truly benefited from being on Xbox Game Pass. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was in two Xbox showcases and had great reviews, and Blue Prince had great reviews and strong word of mouth. Revenge of the Savage Planet, which had good reviews, didn't necessarily benefit from the same boosts. It also could be an issue with the game itself, as the name makes it confusing to know if it's a new game or a remaster of Journey to the Savage Planet. With a smattering of examples suggesting that Game Pass can be successful, but it isn't guaranteed, it seems like a huge gamble for indie developers. While a guaranteed amount of money and at least a little marketing could still be enticing for some developers, if launching on Xbox Game Pass was ever an easy path to success, it certainly isn't anymore. If you don't have the next indie darling, and it's impossible to know if you do, it might be worth skipping an Xbox Game Pass launch.