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Every publisher dislikes Game Pass because it’s ‘destructive’ to value, according to PlayStation bossMeanwhile, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said the subscription offering was “very, very sustainable” in 2022.

Meanwhile, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said the subscription offering was “very, very sustainable” in 2022.

Jim Ryan’s shot at its biggest rival’s subscription offering - which competes directly with Sony’s own PlayStation Plus programme - came during pre-recorded testimony given during the latest Federal Trade Commission hearing to scrutinise the proposed Microsoft-Activision acquisition. (Thanks,IGN.)

10 Hidden Gems You Must Not Miss On Xbox Game Pass For PCWatch on YouTube

10 Hidden Gems You Must Not Miss On Xbox Game Pass For PC

Cover image for YouTube video

That directly clashes with Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s assurance toAxioslast year that Game Pass is “very, very sustainable”, along with his insistence that the service wasn’t “burning cash”.

“I talked to all the publishers, and they unanimously do not like Game Pass because it’s value-destructive,” Ryan said, in what feels very much like the corporate equivalent of telling someone at school that somebody else has no friends.

In response, Xbox apparently just highlighted that every Game Pass announcement from therecent Xbox Games Showcasewas from a creator that had previously launched a game via Game Pass.

Image credit:Microsoft

Four-way split image between Redfall’s vampire, FIFA’s Mbappe, Age Of Empires, a Forza Horizon Car, and blocky person from Minecraft. The Game Pass logo is in the foreground.

While Microsoft’s immediate release of brand new first-party games on Game Pass has become somewhat of a selling point among customers, PlayStation has explicitly said that it won’t launch its own games on PlayStation Plus right away due to the impact on sales, especially for story-driven, single-player titles. Of course, PlayStation Plus is also locked to Sony’s consoles, leaving Game Pass as the predominant subscription platform on PC.