Xbox Game Pass Has Been “Nothing But Positive,” Despite Sony Boss’s Claims, Dev Say

There are developers out there who like Xbox Game Pass, even if the head honcho at PlayStation says otherwise. Case in point: Miles Jacobson, who oversees the Football Manager franchise at Sports Interactive, spoke out in favor of Microsoft’s subscription service.

Eurogamer asked the studio head at Sports Interactive about PlayStation president Jim Ryan’s assertion that other publishers dislike Xbox Game Pass. “Every studio is going to have different opinions on this, and different studios will have different data, because different games work well in different situations,” Jacobson said. “For us, it’s nothing but positive on all three platforms.”

Jacobson added that as a Sega-owned studio, they “run quite a tight ship.” So Sports Interactive doesn’t “tend to do deals that are bad for any parts of the business.” For those curious, Football Manager 2023 became a part of the Xbox Game Pass lineup in November.

Ryan’s comments about Xbox Game Pass came as part of the FTC-Microsoft trial that’s led to all sorts of revelations. For example, Ryan apparently didn’t think Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard was about Call of Duty exclusivity, saying as much in a 2022 email. Then there are documents showcasing that Microsoft reportedly explored buying up Square Enix in the past.

As for Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft has had to clarify its own admission that the service can cannibalize game sales.