Subscription services for video games have grown over the years, but former PlayStation Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida has expressed concern about them. In an interview, Yoshida spoke about how the expansion of first-party titles could eventually lead to third-party studios being shut out of subscription services, as the companies could prefer to hedge their bets with a growing library of first-party releases instead of experimental games.
"If the only way for people to play games is through subscriptions, that's really dangerous because what [type] of games can be created will be dictated by the owner of the subscription services," Yoshida said to Game Developer at Gamescom LATAM. "That's really, really risky because there must always be fresh new ideas tried by small developers that create the next wave of development. But if the big companies dictate what games can be created, I don't think that will advance the industry."
Yoshida added that Sony's approach is "healthier" as the company only adds first-party releases to its PlayStation Plus service after they've been on the market for a certain amount of time. Once sales have tailed off on a first-party game, it usually finds its way onto PS Plus, thus allowing more people to experience it for the first time.
In comparison, Microsoft's main selling point for Xbox Game Pass is that games developed by its internal studios are day-one releases on its subscription program, and third-party games have also been included in this strategy. So far, 2025 has seen day-one launches of big titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Doom: The Dark Ages, and South of Midnight on Xbox Game Pass. The releases have been fairly diverse as well, with games like Pentiment, Grounded, and Hi-Fi Rush joining traditional fare like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Forza Motorsport.
Developer Rebellion's newest game, Atomfall, was also "immediately profitable," and the studio recently spoke about why it was a good business decision to release it through Game Pass. At the same time, another developer has spoken about the risks of Game Pass, and Microsoft has also clarified its own statements on the service potentially cannibalizing game sales.
Yoshida did praise Microsoft for its backwards compatibility, a feat of engineering that he called "smart and very well planned" for its subscribers. PS Plus--and Xbox Game Pass--will be home to a day-one third-party release in June, as Remedy Entertainment's FBC: Firebreak will be available through those services.
The PlayStation Plus Game Catalogue was also updated this week with a few more titles, and June's PS Plus games includes a few recent titles from 2024 like the Alone in the Dark remake, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, and NBA 2K25.
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"If the only way for people to play games is through subscriptions, that's really dangerous because what [type] of games can be created will be dictated by the owner of the subscription services," Yoshida said to Game Developer at Gamescom LATAM. "That's really, really risky because there must always be fresh new ideas tried by small developers that create the next wave of development. But if the big companies dictate what games can be created, I don't think that will advance the industry."
Yoshida added that Sony's approach is "healthier" as the company only adds first-party releases to its PlayStation Plus service after they've been on the market for a certain amount of time. Once sales have tailed off on a first-party game, it usually finds its way onto PS Plus, thus allowing more people to experience it for the first time.
In comparison, Microsoft's main selling point for Xbox Game Pass is that games developed by its internal studios are day-one releases on its subscription program, and third-party games have also been included in this strategy. So far, 2025 has seen day-one launches of big titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Doom: The Dark Ages, and South of Midnight on Xbox Game Pass. The releases have been fairly diverse as well, with games like Pentiment, Grounded, and Hi-Fi Rush joining traditional fare like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Forza Motorsport.
Developer Rebellion's newest game, Atomfall, was also "immediately profitable," and the studio recently spoke about why it was a good business decision to release it through Game Pass. At the same time, another developer has spoken about the risks of Game Pass, and Microsoft has also clarified its own statements on the service potentially cannibalizing game sales.
Yoshida did praise Microsoft for its backwards compatibility, a feat of engineering that he called "smart and very well planned" for its subscribers. PS Plus--and Xbox Game Pass--will be home to a day-one third-party release in June, as Remedy Entertainment's FBC: Firebreak will be available through those services.
The PlayStation Plus Game Catalogue was also updated this week with a few more titles, and June's PS Plus games includes a few recent titles from 2024 like the Alone in the Dark remake, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, and NBA 2K25.
Source