There’s a longstanding debate over whether Microsoft’s Game Pass has a negative or positive impact on sales of games available on the service. However, according to id Software co-founder and Doom co-creator John Romero, Game Pass is actually beneficial for the video game industry.
In a recent interview with Xbox Expansion Pass, as reported by True Achievements, Romero expressed his enthusiasm for Game Pass, referring to it as “Netflix for games” and praising its ability to allow players to try out games before deciding to purchase them.
“I love it,” Romero stated. “I mean, who doesn’t love Game Pass? It’s Netflix for games; who doesn’t want that? It’s great because it’s try before you buy… one thing after another thing. Really the barrier for people to play games is just access to those games. Even free-to-play games, it’s like, knowing that those games exist, and Game Pass is like ‘Here they are!'”
Contrary to concerns that Game Pass may harm game developers, Romero believes that it actually helps by allowing players to quickly experience different titles, even if they don’t end up purchasing them. He did not address the impact of games launching on Game Pass simultaneously with their retail release, but he did acknowledge that certain games, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, have still seen success despite being available on the service. On the other hand, titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle may have faced challenges in sales, possibly due to delays in the PlayStation 5 version.
While Romero was not involved in the development of Doom: The Dark Ages, he noted that the game will be available on Game Pass from its release date of May 15. Unlike Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Doom: The Dark Ages will also launch on PlayStation 5 alongside its Xbox Series X|S debut.