Obsidian Entertainment’s latest game would not have happened without Game Pass

There has been much debate and discussion surrounding whether Xbox Game Pass is good for developers, good for players, and good for the industry as a whole. With Obsidian Entertainment’s latest title now available on the service, the studio revealed that this game would not have existed at all if not for Game Pass.

Obsidian Entertainment’s Josh Sawyer recently sat down with Vice’s Waypoint Radio to discuss the team’s latest game – Pentiment. According to Sawyer, this small scale, single-player, narrative adventure set in 16th Century Germany would not have existed if not for the likes of Game Pass, with him saying (as transcribed by ResetEra user ‘Tygre’):

“I never would have proposed making Pentiment without Game Pass. Like, I literally just wouldn't have done it. I just don't think it would have been possible.”

Explaining the reason behind this thought process, Sawyer said “The old mentality of Publishers and Developers is generally focussed on larger investments with higher ROI (return on investment), and that's not the point in this environment, in this ecosystem. (Game Pass) is the only way in which I conceive of (Pentiment) being viable.”

Sawyer concluded by claiming that “For my own sake, making a game so different, I've completely shifted my thinking for (Pentiment). It is so unusual, so niche, it's for a small audience, and as long as that audience is into it, that's fine.”

Over the years, we have seen studios grow and expand, with each new game seemingly needing to be bigger than the last. It is therefore encouraging to see that Xbox Game Pass allows for teams to create whatever kind of game they want – small, big, or anything in between.

KitGuru says: Have you played Pentiment? What did you think of it? What studio would you like to see make a smaller-scale game? Let us know down below.

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