There is an ongoing discussion regarding whether Microsoft’s Game Pass negatively or positively impacts the sales of titles available on the service. However, as far as John Romero, co-founder of id Software and co-creator of Doom, is concerned, Game Pass is beneficial for the gaming industry.
In an interview with True Achievements, Romero expressed enthusiastic support for Game Pass while speaking with Xbox Game Pass.
“I love it,” remarked Romero. “Who doesn’t enjoy Game Pass? It’s like Netflix for games; who wouldn’t want that? It’s fantastic because it’s a try-before-you-buy approach… one game after another. The only barrier for players to engage with games is simply access to them. Even with free-to-play games, it’s about being aware that those games are out there, and Game Pass is like ‘Here they are!'”
Romero further added that Game Pass “doesn’t harm the game developers that created those games,” because players get to experience titles more readily even if they don’t purchase them. It remains unclear whether Romero holds this view regarding games that release on Game Pass simultaneously with their retail launch. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 seemingly experienced no negative effects from its availability on Game Pass, as it became the best-selling game in the U.S. for 2024. In contrast, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle only debuted at No. 14 on the list of best-selling games for December 2024. This title may have also been impacted by the fact that its PlayStation 5 version will not be available until later this spring.
Though Romero did not contribute to Doom: The Dark Ages, this game is set to be a day-one release on Game Pass when it arrives on May 15. Unlike Indiana…