The case between Microsoft and the FTC continued on Tuesday with video deposition from PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan being a focal point. During a meeting with Fidelity investors in February 2022, Ryan said publishers just don’t like Xbox Game Pass or the idea of the subscription model.
“I talked to all publishers they unanimously do not like Game Pass, because its value destructive,” he said.
Ryan added that the belief was “very commonly held” by publishers across the industry. He also said that he didn’t believe Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick would put the Call of Duty franchise on the service if the acquisition didn’t go through.
That said, Sony has worked to help PlayStation compete against the service with exclusive games of its own. Ryan said that PlayStation growing first-party titles is its way to keep Xbox Game Pass at bay.
“One of the reasons why we are investing massively in first-party development and publishing is to provide us with an edge against pressure on a historic business model,” he told the Fidelity investors. “Having a business model where you own elements from the top to the bottom increases your ability to be self-determinant.”
In addition to what he says publishers think of Xbox Game Pass, Ryan gave his thoughts on cloud gaming as a whole. Despite PlayStation Now having had a subscriber base of 3 million users before its merger with PlayStation Plus, Ryan doesn’t think cloud gaming is that close to taking hold.
“Cloud technology will become a meaningful component of how gamers access games between 2025 and 2035,” he said. “We’re making significant investments in cloud in anticipation of it becoming a very meaningful way of how gamers access games.”
What do you think of Jim Ryan saying publishers don’t like Xbox Game Pass? For more Insider Gaming, check out what Nintendo thinks about console scalping.
