Ever heard someone call a wildly popular service “unsustainable” and “damaging”? That’s exactly what Raphael Colantonio, a respected veteran in the game industry, is saying about Xbox Game Pass. Colantonio is known for co-founding Arkane Studios, a team that eventually became part of Microsoft. Even though his former studio is under the Microsoft umbrella, he believes what Microsoft is doing with Game Pass has hurt the game industry for too long.
Colantonio recently shared his thoughts on X, previously known as Twitter. He called Xbox Game Pass a “big problem no one cares about.” He thinks it has harmed the industry for over ten years. According to him, Microsoft’s “infinite money” has propped up this model. He firmly believes Xbox Game Pass is “unsustainable.”
I think Gamepass is an unsustainable model that has been increasingly damaging the industry for a decade, subsidized by MS’s “infinite money”, but at some point reality has to hit. I don’t think GP can co-exist with other models, they’ll either kill everyone else, or give up.
— Raphael Colantonio (@rafcolantonio) July 5, 2025
Colantonio warned that reality will catch up eventually. His biggest concern is that Game Pass simply cannot share the playing field with other business models. He predicts it will either wipe out all competitors or Microsoft will have to give up. He suggests this model will lead to more and more studio closures.
Gamesradar+ weighed in on this, noting a similar trend in the movie industry. People aren’t worried about owning movies anymore. They are happy to stream them instead of buying DVDs or Blu-Rays. However, not every game on Game Pass becomes a big seller. Titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or Oblivion Remastered are examples.
I agree. But it’s a long game that involves throwing a tsunami at the entire ecosystem of the industry. Only the gamers like it because the offer is too good to be true, but eventually even gamers will hate it when they realize the effects on the games.
— Raphael Colantonio (@rafcolantonio) July 5, 2025
“It’s a long game,” Colantonio stated. He described it as a giant wave hitting the entire industry. “Only gamers like it now,” he said. He feels the offer seems too good to be true. Yet, he believes even players will dislike it later. They will see the wider effects on the games they love.
He compared it to other fields. “Other industries have different cost-to-sales ratios for content,” he explained. He pointed out how users might love Spotify because it’s a great deal for them. But he thinks it’s terrible for most musicians. The service only really works for Spotify itself, big-name artists, and those who own shares in Spotify.
Despite these serious concerns, Game Pass keeps adding new games. Many new titles are set to join the service. The big question is how this model will impact the future. Will Colantonio’s warnings prove true? We will all be watching closely to find out.