Players will be familiar with Arkane Studios for its unique games under the Bethesda umbrella. Since Microsoft recently acquired the publisher, it was unclear what would happen to Arkane‘s titles. Past releases are on Xbox Game Pass, and one of the studio’s directors describes the freedom provided by this move.
Towards the end of last-generation consoles, Microsoft put forth a way to set its titles apart. Xbox Game Pass allows players to pay one subscription and access an entire catalogue of games. With big name series like Halo, Gears, and Forza available through the service, Game Pass subscribers spend even more on games. Now Arkane Studio games are appearing on the service, and apparently this has been good for the team’s ambitions.
Heading up the creative development for Deathloop, Dinga Bakaba weighs in on the acquisition. Deathloop is a PlayStation 5 exclusive, so it results in an unique situation where Microsoft has a title releasing solely for another console. He describes how the sale was surprising, but beyond the initial reveal it made a lot of sense. Bakaba also goes on to explain how being part of Game Pass benefits Arkane. Since the studio’s games can always have a place in Xbox Game Pass, the team can continue to focus on projects they want to make.
Based on reception from social media, past Arkane games still receive a lot of acclaim. With Prey and the Dishonored series just some of the Bethesda titles on Game Pass, Bakaba points towards players online encouraging others to try these games. Without having the higher launch cost of next generation games, Arkane can stick to riskier concepts. The service apparently lets the team be more creative and develop a committed audience simultaneously.
There is little doubt that Xbox Game Pass is a beneficial service in the industry. Currently, it is really the only one of its kind available between Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Not only is the collection massive, but players can download the titles to their device without having to stream them. The other upside is that it seems like a boon for game developers too. Arkane Studios is not the only party benefitting from the wide reach Xbox Game Pass has.
Of course, moving Bethesda games to Game Pass does come with a catch. It sounds like future titles, such as The Elder Scrolls 6 may be exclusive to Xbox now. As seen by Deathloop, Bethesda games typically have a home on PlayStation consoles, but with the acquisition this may not be the case. So while Arkane Studios will benefit from having more flexibility, it could come at the cost of having a smaller audience. Nevertheless, the freedom to create unique games is a good sign for the studio and should lead to some interesting experiences.
Source: press-start.com
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