Xbox Sport Move is perhaps in style amongst avid gamers, however in the event you ask Arkane Studios founder Raphael Colantonio, it is dangerous information for avid gamers and builders alike in the long term.
If there was one takeaway from Microsoft’s annual Xbox Video games Showcase final month, it was the central position of Xbox Sport Move in the way forward for Microsoft’s gaming technique. This weekend, Colantonio, who parted methods with Arkane eight years in the past, spoke out about that shift, slamming Microsoft’s growing reliance on its subscription service.
In a put up on X, Colantonio mentioned, “I believe Gamepass is an unsustainable mannequin that has been more and more damaging the business for a decade, backed by MS’s ‘infinite cash’, however in some unspecified time in the future actuality has to hit. I don’t assume GP can co-exist with different fashions, they’ll both kill everybody else, or surrender.”
I believe Gamepass is an unsustainable mannequin that has been more and more damaging the business for a decade, backed by MS’s “infinite cash”, however in some unspecified time in the future actuality has to hit. I don’t assume GP can co-exist with different fashions, they’ll both kill everybody else, or surrender.July 5, 2025
He added in replies to the put up that Sport Move is “a protracted sport that entails throwing a tsunami on the whole ecosystem of the business. Solely the avid gamers prefer it as a result of the supply is just too good to be true, however finally even avid gamers will hate it once they notice the results on the video games.”
“I’m positive it has been good for some folks however you need to take a look at the online outcomes.”
Colantonio left Arkane Studios in 2017 earlier than its mum or dad firm, ZeniMax Media, was acquired by Microsoft in 2021. He was on the studio’s helm again when it was making Dishonored and Prey (each of which are actually on Sport Move), however has been busy with new initiatives at studio WolfEye throughout Arkane’s Microsoft period.
Colantonio is not the primary critic to level out Sport Move’ similarities to TV streaming providers. Sport Move is a superb deal for avid gamers, identical to Netflix, Disney+, and all the remainder had been initially. Now, costs are larger, these providers are crammed with adverts, and careers in Hollywood are drying up as streaming struggles to show a revenue.
It is not arduous to think about Sport Move main the video games business down the same path. Nonetheless this pans out, Microsoft is clearly too dedicated to the service to again out, given its slumping console gross sales. For higher or worse, Xbox’s destiny is tied to Sport Move, which implies beloved studios like Obsidian, Arkane Lyon, and Bethesda’s are as properly.
