After all the buzz around Xbox game prices shooting up to the sky, gamers thought that it would be the end of subscription-based gaming. But it seems like someone else caught wind of the idea and is launching their own Game Pass, which is a bit different.
Publisher indie.io has announced its own website that will host a plethora of indie games, playable for a minimal subscription price, starting at $6.99 a month. As reasonable as that price tag sounds in the current economy, gamers are really skeptical of it.
Especially when the idea is for a minimal subscription to independent games. There are some shady rules for how the revenue will be split up between independent creators, and it has been a point of discussion among gamers.
The Indie Game Pass will launch with over 70 titles
The Indie Game Pass website is about to launch on April 13 and is already accessible for people to check out. Indie.io, being a publisher themselves, will have a complete lineup of all their titles up on the website, along with more.
According to reports, there will be more than 70 indie titles that are going to show up on the subscription service. The company will reveal more of its upcoming tie-ups and catalogues soon before release.
It’s not like Indie Pass is the only website that is going to have indie game titles. Itch.io has always existed as a space for independent game creators. But nothing around the idea of a subscription-based shop has ever been done before, so it begs the question if the store could also come to consoles.
No one is happy about subscription-based indie games
Gamers online are not particularly enthusiastic and would much rather prefer supporting indie artists directly. This is because it has been found that parts of the revenue system will be dependent on ‘player time spent on each game’.
Indie developers on the platform also turned up to call out the publisher for their shady behaviour in the past. According to the developer of Relic Abys, an indie bullet heaven game, the publisher wanted no risk deals on their side.
Everyone has already been tormented enough with Xbox’s subscription services, and no one seems to want the same for independent developers. A lot of people think it would be in complete opposition to what the indie game scene is all about if someone comes in and starts making the whole thing a corporate deal.
