There are two facts that most are only starting to find out about Palworld: it’s available on Game Pass on Day One and it’s worse on Game Pass (or, more specifically, Xbox).
This is a problem when Microsoft is trying to sell everyone on how Game Pass is the next big thing, even when, as per the guys who, for the lack of a better term, did the math, video game subscriptions have already hit their peak.
While PC Game Pass isn’t the same as Xbox Game Pass, it’s still part of Microsoft’s overall strategy. Lately, the numbers aren’t trending upwards for Microsoft.
Now, first things first, Microsoft deserves kudos for landing two of the best-selling games on Steam in recent memory. Starfield topped the Steam charts for weeks. Meanwhile, Palworld is already the fifth-most-played game on Steam with over 4 million copies sold in three days.
The latter isn’t a first-party exclusive, but the news of it being available on Xbox exclusively does sting for PlayStation owners who are definitely feeling the kind of FOMO that they haven’t in a long time (it doesn’t help that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle looks and feels like the next-gen Uncharted experience that Naughty Dog, for some reason, refuses to give fans.)
Unfortunately, when Xbox is so all-in on Game Pass, it’s difficult to revel in its victory. The fact of the matter is, no one seems to care much about Game Pass, especially on PC.
Despite spending heavily on marketing costs and bundling a three-month subscription to PC Game Pass with anything from retail boxed graphics cards to gaming laptops and so much more, Palworld’s performance on Steam proves that people prefer to buy games than lease them. This was also the case with Starfield, which, by the way, was heavily touted as the most significant Xbox release in years. With Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Avowed, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, all headed their way to PC Game Pass, Game Pass, and Xbox Series S/X later this year, what are the chances that more will care about their release on PC outside of Steam and Epic Games Store?
Microsoft has pushed the Game Pass as the future of gaming, but the situation is far from ideal. The Xbox Game Pass might be doing well, but it can’t support an entire ecosystem. Expanding to cloud streaming and mobile successfully is a long shot for Microsoft if it can’t afford to invest in performance parity across multiple platforms. The fact that the PC Game Pass, more often than not, offers a lesser version of a game, means that it will be difficult for it to grow in any meaningful way.
Unfortunately, we’ll never know if Palworld is posting excellent numbers on Game Pass. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, removed Game Pass’ growth and subscription numbers from the company’s recent performance metrics. Then again, it wouldn’t surprise us if most Palworld’s players are on PC and playing on Steam or Epic Games Store.
Palworld should’ve been the sort of win that had PlayStation seething with jealousy and anger (Nintendo is an entirely different story). And, while PlayStation owners are on the outside looking in for once, it feels like the only victors here are the players and its developers, Pocketpair.
