The Citizen Sleeper developer has stated that Xbox Game Pass is allowing many indie studios to keep going nowadays.
Speaking during an interview in the May, 2024, issue of Edge Magazine (via), Citizen Sleeper developer Gareth Damian Martin was asked about the reason behind the game never leaving Xbox Game Pass since its arrival on the service. In response, he mentioned that the general sentiment among those who tried the game was along the lines of, “I don’t play these kinds of games, but I tried it because it was on Game Pass, and I loved it.” He added that this was “massive” for Citizen Sleeper.
According to Damian Martin, getting a deal with a console subscription service can be vital for a studio of Jump Over The Age’s size. The Citizen Sleeper developer said that he honestly believes Xbox Game Pass is keeping a lot of indie studios going right now. He added that the money is a tiny amount to Microsoft, but to those indie developers, it’s the thing that empowers them to develop another game.
Meanwhile, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Director Masayoshi Yokoyama termed Xbox Game Pass as a way of “handing overseas players his “business card”. He said this in relation to Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which was released day one on Microsoft’s subscription service. In other words, letting players new to the series enjoy the game and get to know Kiryu was Yokoyama’s objective with the decision to put Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name on Xbox Game Pass.
As such, Yokoyama said that Microsoft’s subscription service proved to be a very good method to invite new users to interact with the series. He mentioned that he fully understands the reasoning behind Larian Studios’ decision to not put Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox Game Pass. According to him, each title has its own goals and befitting ways of being offered to players. The next Yakuza title, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, was not made available on Game Pass, as the “business card” had already been handed out and served its purpose.
