By “Having your game featured on Game Pass is truly worthwhile”
- by Ben Kerry
It’s no mystery that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been quite successful. Alongside some fantastic review ratings, we’ve discovered that the game has already sold over a million copies within days – despite the predominance of UK physical sales going to PS5. It appears Xbox Game Pass is influencing sales, but still, an indie developer has come to the defense of the service on social media recently.
Amidst the discussions about Expedition 33’s sales distribution, Palworld‘s community manager ‘Bucky’ has been advocating for both the newly launched RPG and Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass platform. The Palworld developer asserts that “having your game on Game Pass is indeed worthwhile” as fans “question the sustainability” of the subscription model.
Of course, Bucky reinforces this position by stating he possesses “a bit more insight on the subject than most” – a claim that’s hard to dispute considering his experience with Palworld. The Pokémon-inspired title performed exceptionally well on the platform last year – with Xbox Game Pass providing significant visibility as it surged in popularity.
Recently, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella remarked that subscription services are “not necessarily THE future of gaming” as some initially believed, but it’s evident that platforms like Xbox Game Pass can genuinely assist certain development teams. This is also beneficial for us as enthusiasts – XGP subscribers have been enjoying some remarkable releases on the platform so far in 2025.
What are your thoughts on this statement from the Palworld developer? Share your views with us below.
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Ben is a News Writer at Pure Xbox, passionate about action, racing, and shooter games on Xbox. When he’s not gripping an Xbox controller, he enjoys listening to music that’s perhaps a bit too old for his age, watching football, and likely dining somewhere.