– Former Microsoft exec Ed Fries has expressed concern over the potential impact the company’s Game Pass subscription service could have on the games industry.
– Fries didn’t give an explicit answer but said that he was ‘scared’ of the impact Game Pass could have, should it become a dominant business model like Spotify has in the music industry.
– “The one thing that they’re doing that makes me nervous is Game Pass,” he said. “Game Pass scares me because there’s a somewhat analogous thing called Spotify that was created for the music business.
– “When Spotify took off it destroyed the music business, it literally cut the annual revenue of the music business in half,” the former Microsoft exec claimed. “It’s made it so people just don’t buy songs anymore.
– “So we have to be careful we don’t create the same system in the game business. These markets are more fragile than people realise. I saw the games industry destroy itself in the early 80s
– “So Game Pass makes me nervous. As a customer, I love it. I love Spotify as a customer: I have all the songs I’d ever want… it’s a great deal as a customer. But it isn’t necessarily great for the industry.”
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/former-xbox-exec-says-hes-scared-of-game-passs-potential-impact/
Do you agree? Will Game Pass destroy the video game industry?
