Microsoft responded to FTC criticism regarding the increase in Game Pass pricing, over 200 employees at Bethesda unionized, and the head of Digital Extremes stated that gaming companies need to have more faith in live-service games. Here’s what happened in the gaming industry over the weekend.
EA Sports College Football 25
- Microsoft disagrees with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that increasing Game Pass prices and adding a tier without day-one games reduces the subscription's quality. According to Microsoft, the price hike is justified by the subscription’s expanding game library, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Regarding the new Game Pass Standard tier at $14.99 per month, Microsoft argues it should not be considered an inferior version of the discontinued Game Pass for Console at $10.99 per month. While Game Pass Standard doesn’t include newly released games, subscribers have access to multiplayer, which previously cost an additional $9.99 per month.
- Bethesda Game Studios formed a union comprising 241 employees from various roles—developers, programmers, artists, designers, and more. Microsoft has officially recognized the union, which will operate under the Communications Workers of America.
- Michael Flatt, head of Xbox marketing in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region, revealed that Microsoft allocates his team a relatively small budget. According to him, Sony invests significantly more in the PlayStation brand in the region. Flatt added that he must be creative and persistent to convince Microsoft to fund his department. Previously, sources from The Verge reported that Microsoft plans to halt console sales in some EMEA countries, focusing instead on cloud gaming, Game Pass subscriptions, and controller sales.
- Steve Sinclair, CEO of Digital Extremes, stated in an interview with VGC that major gaming companies often give up on their live-service games too early. Sinclair believes they place too much importance on initial metrics. If launch numbers fall short of expectations, the game is shut down, even though it might have had massive potential and could have improved over time.
- On July 19, Electronic Arts (EA) released the college football simulator EA Sports College Football 25 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. According to company estimates, the game attracted millions of players even before its release. Specifically, 2.2 million people purchased the deluxe edition of EA Sports College Football 25 for $99.99, gaining early access three days prior to the general release. Additionally, 600,000 people tried the game through an EA Play subscription.