Summary
Alex Hutchinson, the creative director ofRevenge of the Savage Planet, has commented on Xbox Game Pass, calling it a potentially dangerous method of distributing games. Hutchinson began his career as a lead designer onThe Sims 2, but he’s best known for his work as creative director onAssassin’s Creed 3andFar Cry 4. Later in his career, the Australian developer co-founded Typhoon Studios, which createdJourney to the Savage Planet, the predecessor toRevenge of the Savage Planet.
Typhoon Studios was eventually shut down by Google Stadia, which had acquired the studio shortly after the announcement ofJourney to the Savage Planet. However, Alex Hutchinson, along with some core members of the original team, went on to form a new studio, Raccoon Logic, to develop a sequel to their firstaction-adventure metroidvania game. From this new studio cameRevenge of the Savage Planet, which was also targeted by Microsoft as a day-one Xbox Game Pass release.
A couple of days afterRevenge of the Savage Planetwas released, Alex Hutchinson joined the hosts of the Quad Damage Podcast to discuss the development journey he and his team have experienced since Stadia’s shutdown. One of the key topics he addressed during the interview was theimpact of Xbox Game Pass on a game’s sales. When asked whether gaming subscriptions like Game Pass help or hurt a game’s launch, Hutchinson responded, “[Xbox Game Pass] is okay as part of the ecosystem… It’s very dangerous as the only [way to purchase or access a game].”
Game Pass Should Not Become the Netflix of Gaming
Alex Hutchinson also drew a comparison between Xbox Game Pass and on-demand video and music subscriptions like Netflix and Spotify. He argued that subscription-based distribution hasn’t been beneficial for the music and film industries, adding that the video game industry is currently in a better position than those sectors. Previously, some critics have also highlighted thepotential downsides of Xbox Game Pass, suggesting that Microsoft’s deals with game developers and publishers could eventually encourage a shift toward more live-service titles, which may harm the industry in various ways.
Towards the end of the interview, Hutchinson also discussed the possibility ofRevenge of the Savage Planetbeing ported to Nintendo’s next-gen console. He noted that he and his team at Raccoon Logic are exploring the idea and would love to be part of theNintendo Switch 2 lineup. However, he also pointed out that Nintendo hasn’t always been welcoming to third-party games, and bringingRevenge of the Savage Planetto its new console could be quite challenging.
