Baldur’s Gate 3 CEO Swen Vincke has taken to X/Twitter to respond to comments by Ubisoft about subscription models, saying that getting good games will be harder if services become dominant.
Ubisoft has come under fire recently for comments about its subscription service plans. The company’s director of subscriptions, Philippe Tremblay said in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, “Gamers are used to owning their games. That’s the consumer shift that needs to happen”. This has sparked a lot of criticism, with many who play games feeling that ownership of games is crucial to their purchase.
This is all in the face of a rise in the popularity of gaming subscription services, which have become more and more prominent. Microsoft’s Game Pass in particular has revolutionized the market, but other services are available like Ubisoft’s own Ubisoft+, EA’s EA Play, or Sony’s PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium tiers.
However, Larian boss Vincke has expressed caution at the prominence of subscription models saying it could lead to worse games.
Ubisoft’s recent comments have garnered a response from Larian
Taking to X/Twitter to air out his thoughts, Vincke explained why he’s cautious of the model. He said: “It’s going to be a lot harder to get good content if subscription becomes the dominant model and a select group gets to decide what goes to market and what not. Direct from developer to players is the way.”
Whatever the future of games looks like, content will always be king. But it’s going to be a lot harder to get good content if subscription becomes the dominant model and a select group gets to decide what goes to market and what not. Direct from developer to players is the way. https://t.co/wEUvd5adt0
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) January 17, 2024
He continued in the thread: “Subscription models will always end up being cost/benefit analysis exercises intended to maximize profit… We are already all dependent on a select group of digital distribution platforms and discoverability is brutal. Should those platforms all switch to subscription, it’ll become savage.”
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“In such a world by definition the preference of the subscription service will determine what games get made. Trust me – you really don’t want that.”
He concluded by saying “You won’t find our games on a subscription service. I just want to make sure the other ecosystem [buying and selling games and owning them] doesn’t die because it’s valuable.”
True to his word, Vincke recently announced that it’s incredibly unlikely that Baldur’s Gate 3 will ever appear Xbox Game Pass.
As the industry moves further into subscription, it’s entirely likely it will have an effect on the games that are made, and eventually, what you have available to play. It also brings big concerns about having access to your favorite titles in the long term. That’s why this remains an important conversation, and it’s one that’s refreshing to see a CEO criticize.
