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[havoc00]

During a recent Reddit AMA, Thomas Sala, the solo developer behind indie gems The Falconeer and Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, was asked to give his opinion on Xbox's Game Pass model. The Falconeer, Sala's first title, made its way onto Game Pass around a year after its initial release, and thanks to the attention it garnered there, he would love to be featured on the service again.


"I'd be on Game Pass the moment they could fit me in, no questions asked," Sala begins. "Falconeer did about a million installs on Game Pass." He goes on to explain that, for him, making games is not about the money, and Game Pass was a great way for him to reach a new audience. "I'm a dev, I fucking want players, don't care about the money, let folks play!"

Unfortunately, as Sala notes, getting your game onto Game Pass is not in the hands of developers or publishers, explaining that "Microsoft carefully curates Game Pass with a regular release cadence. If your game fits the schedule and meets expectations and you have signalled you're open to making a deal, Microsoft might offer you a slot."

That being said, Sala is still positive about the service and believes that for developers lucky enough to be given a slot, it can be hugely beneficial. "These things are up to the gods in Redmond and if you get in it's generally a very positive thing for a dev, especially in indie. They are more than fair in compensation and you get a huge audience."

Solo developer behind The Falconeer and Bulwark explains why Game Pass is so great for indies: "If you get in it's generally a very positive thing for a dev."

"I'd be on Game Pass the moment they could fit me in, no questions asked."

www.gamesradar.com

 

[simpatico]

"It doesn't even matter if our game is good or if it sells well. It's like being completely absolved from the consequences of our actions"

No wonder it's popular among modern devs. Safety nets have never been more fashionable.

 

[Alexios]

"It doesn't even matter if our game is good or if it sells well. It's like being completely absolved from the consequences of our actions"

No wonder it's popular among modern devs. Safety nets have never been more fashionable.

Who are you quoting there?

 

[simpatico]

Who are you quoting there?

Paraphrasing sources familiar with the dev's thinking.

 

[Alexios]

Paraphrasing sources familiar with the dev's thinking.

So, quoting your ass yet presenting it like a quote from this dev (whose games are pretty good, if quite niche). Thanks for the clarification.

Good lord fanboys are really something here, it's not like the guy praised it to hell & back, just showed that to him specifically it's been a useful tool, albeit one you can't even choose because of the curation process. But nope, gotta bring an agenda into this with "paraphrasing" unrelated bs. GZ

Yep, it's very rational to ask a dev to not use the tools, mediums and marketplaces available and beneficial to them, be it Game Pass, PS Plus, Steam store features and so on and so forth because it clashes with your romantic, ignorant ideas of the market, like it affects you personally or something...

Like you never enjoyed a game that was not a success and have never heard visibility is tough and can be a crapshoot considering the thousands of video games that release every damn year, but nope, dev sucks for putting a game on a platform you hate, be it Game Pass or eShop or whatever, lol.

Then the ol classic favorite:

Oh he totally wants some money, doesn't want to be homeless, wants to make a living from his chosen creative profession rather than release it free (that still doesn't guarantee players, stupid), working diligently to make games I alone approve & having another job, or two, to live off, what an ass!

PS: blame the site clickbait partially but this was just an AMA and someone happened to ask about Game Pass, he's made like two games and the last has not been on there, I guess the dude should have told him to stfu and actually NOT ask anything in that particular AMA to please some fanboys...

 

[LectureMaster]

"I'm a dev, I fucking want players, don't care about the money, let folks play!"

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

it's true; he was a studio lead before and definitely made good money but still decided to go solo/indie eventually instead.

 

[violence]

I like the philosophy of “make something great and we will make money.”

I think when you focus on playing it safe it becomes soda instead of an art form.

 

[simpatico]

So, quoting your ass yet presenting it like a quote from this dev (whose games are pretty good, if quite niche). Thanks for the clarification.

Good lord fanboys are really something here, it's not like the guy praised it to hell & back, just showed that to him specifically it's been a useful tool, albeit one you can't even choose because of the curation process. But nope, gotta bring an agenda into this with "paraphrasing" unrelated bs. GZ

Wish he was more confident in it selling on it's own merits. The game being good makes the choice to put it on Gamepass worse. Do we know if they're paid a flat rate for Gamepass or do they get a royalty for each download?

 

[LectureMaster]

it's true; he was a studio lead before and definitely made good money but still decided to go solo/indie eventually instead.

That's respectable, need to check out the games then.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

I don’t think anti gamepass crowd is going to get what the dev is saying here.

 

[LordOcidax]

A positive thread about Game Pass… Dude bros engage.

 

[adamsapple]

 

[Mr Moose]

Was just about to say "OP if you post that twats Smooves video one more damn time" and then Adam posts it.
*shakes fist*

 

[Three]

"The moment they could fit me in"
Are they running out of storage space?

No, the "release cadence" means they take peoples money for a given period and give it to people like you. If you were to say put my game up there for free because "I don't care about the money" there would be no objection I'm sure but clearly money is what's driving the decisions here.

 

[FatallyYours]

The dude is very active on the steam forums for Bulwark, taking feedback directly from the players and implementing it in updates. He seems like a genuinely nice guy too

 

[PauloRoberto]

Im sorry, i cannot take a liar seriously. 'Don't care about money' your a**! What you want and like is immediate financial security, regardless of work quality. It's not wrong per se, but at least be sincere.

 

[Three]

I don’t think anti gamepass crowd is going to get what the dev is saying here.

What is he saying?
Gamepass is a good thing for indies and funding for them but this "I don't care about money just happy to have players if they can fit me in" is horseshit. Why would gamepass facilitate this? Just release your game as free then. You'll have more players.

 

[Banjo64]

for him, making games is not about the money

Lol

 

[Gordon Fearman]

So, quoting your ass yet presenting it like a quote from this dev (whose games are pretty good, if quite niche). Thanks for the clarification.

Even worse, it's nearly the opposite of what the actual quote is:

If your game fits the schedule and meets expectations...

 

[vaibhavpisal]

What is he saying?
Gamepass is a good thing for indies and funding for them but this "I don't care about money just happy to have players if they can fit me in" is horseshit. Why would gamepass facilitate this? Just release your game as free then. You'll have more players.

I have seen devs being opposed to putting ads in FTP games cause they seem out of place.

Smaller indie games of course.

Some devs would prefer to have an audience check out their game. People playing is enough.

 

[Heisenberg007]

"I'm a dev, I fucking want players, don't care about the money, let folks play!"

Why not release the game as a free-to-play game then on all platforms simultaneously?

lol, such statements are obviously bullshit, and they expect us to believe them.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Check finally cleared huh?

 

[SHA]

So, quoting your ass yet presenting it like a quote from this dev (whose games are pretty good, if quite niche). Thanks for the clarification.

Good lord fanboys are really something here, it's not like the guy praised it to hell & back, just showed that to him specifically it's been a useful tool, albeit one you can't even choose because of the curation process. But nope, gotta bring an agenda into this with "paraphrasing" unrelated bs. GZ

Yep, it's very rational to ask a dev to not use the tools, mediums and marketplaces available and beneficial to them, be it Game Pass, PS Plus, Steam store features and so on and so forth because it clashes with your romantic, ignorant ideas of the market, like it affects you personally or something...

Like you never enjoyed a game that was not a success and have never heard visibility is tough and can be a crapshoot considering the thousands of video games that release every damn year, but nope, dev sucks for putting a game on a platform you hate, be it Game Pass or eShop or whatever, lol.

Then the ol favorite:

Oh no he totally wants money he doesn't want to be homeless and wants to make a living from his creative juices rather than release everything for free, working diligently to make games I approve of and on top of that having another job to live off of like a day has 48 hours, what a hypocrite he is!

Gamepass is a tape, flip it to change the subject.

 

[Sorcerer]

He goes on to explain that, for him, making games is not about the money, and Game Pass was a great way for him to reach a new audience. "I'm a dev, I fucking want players, don't care about the money, let folks play!"

Well, that's nice that he doesn't care about the money, but I'm sure most indie devs's are not in his position and need the money.

I wonder if more than fair is a good deal, and if it's worth the tradeoff?

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

He isn't saying he doesn't care about money at all
The question was a comparison

What made you decide to go the Game Pass route after 12 months, and how do the financials compare between the standard release and Game Pass.

He also got asked a question about play anywhere and why not more publishers offer this option:

Honestly I have no idea, the system works and clearly why the hell would you want your players to pay more than once for a game.
You play my game, I'm happy, you buy it once and I'm exctatic. That should be it... really (besides some cheap ass supporter DLC)..

 

[Three]

I have seen devs being opposed to putting ads in FTP games cause they seem out of place.

Smaller indie games of course.

Some devs would prefer to have an audience check out their game. People playing is enough.

If simply "people playing" is enough you can release free on steam and have a much larger audience. Obviously the compensation is important here, pretending it's not is just trying to pull the wool over my eyes. I don't even understand why he had to say that nonsense about not caring about the money but I assume it has something to do with exclusivity and deals being frowned upon so he tried to distance it from the monetary gain for taking it if given the opportunity.

 

[Big Baller]

4 the players

 

[vaibhavpisal]

If simply "people playing" is enough you can release free on steam and have a much larger audience. Obviously the compensation is important here, pretending it's not is just trying to pull the wool over my eyes. I don't even understand why he had to say that nonsense about not caring about the money but I assume it has something to do with exclusivity and deals being frowned upon so he tried to distance it from the monetary gain for taking it if given the opportunity.

Free to play is not same thing as releasing on gamepass.

A cool indie game coming to gamepass generates a different buzz compared to nth FTP title releasing on steam.

 

[reinking]

I am glad it worked out for him. I can’t imagine he does not care at all about the money but I do believe he feels he was compensated enough by Microsoft.

 

[Ozriel]

Wish he was more confident in it selling on it's own merits. The game being good makes the choice to put it on Gamepass worse. Do we know if they're paid a flat rate for Gamepass or do they get a royalty for each download?

It got into GamePass months after release. Meaning it had a chance to be sold on its own merits. Did you even read the OP?

 

[adamsapple]

Seeing this, and then seeing some folks saying 'tHeN wHy IsN't It fReE tO PlAy' and actually living up to the meme.

 

[diffusionx]

So, quoting your ass yet presenting it like a quote from this dev (whose games are pretty good, if quite niche). Thanks for the clarification.

Good lord fanboys are really something here, it's not like the guy praised it to hell & back, just showed that to him specifically it's been a useful tool, albeit one you can't even choose because of the curation process. But nope, gotta bring an agenda into this with "paraphrasing" unrelated bs. GZ

Yep, it's very rational to ask a dev to not use the tools, mediums and marketplaces available and beneficial to them, be it Game Pass, PS Plus, Steam store features and so on and so forth because it clashes with your romantic, ignorant ideas of the market, like it affects you personally or something...

Like you never enjoyed a game that was not a success and have never heard visibility is tough and can be a crapshoot considering the thousands of video games that release every damn year, but nope, dev sucks for putting a game on a platform you hate, be it Game Pass or eShop or whatever, lol.

Then the ol classic favorite:

Oh he totally wants some money, doesn't want to be homeless, wants to make a living from his chosen creative profession rather than release it free (that still doesn't guarantee players, stupid), working diligently to make games I alone approve & having another job. or two, to live off, what an ass!

and all that takes daddy microsoft willing to eat whatever business risk you are pawning off to them.

Ultimately, that is not a sustainable model.

 

[Ozriel]

If simply "people playing" is enough you can release free on steam and have a much larger audience. Obviously the compensation is important here, pretending it's not is just trying to pull the wool over my eyes. I don't even understand why he had to say that nonsense about not caring about the money but I assume it has something to do with exclusivity and deals being frowned upon so he tried to distance it from the monetary gain for taking it if given the opportunity.

The game only got on GamePass months after release, so no exclusivity deal there. Single dev behind the game, and it was eventually ported to everything.

nobody but you is ‘frowning’ at this game.

 

[Ozriel]

and all that takes daddy microsoft willing to eat whatever business risk you are pawning off to them.

Ultimately, that is not a sustainable model.

…literally the first paragraph in the OP

The Falconeer, Sala's first title, made its way onto Game Pass around a year after its initial release,

There’s a reading or comprehension epidemic here on GAF. The publisher (which wasn’t MS) takes the risk, and any GP deal would have been after the initial sales flurry on both console and PC.

 

[Three]

The game only got on GamePass months after release, so no exclusivity deal there. Single dev behind the game, and it was eventually ported to everything.

nobody but you is ‘frowning’ at this game.

I'm not even frowning at a game either but I can see you doing that while reading and trying to comprehend my post.

 

[GHG]

for him, making games is not about the money

Lol

Spoiler

 

[Three]

…literally the first paragraph in the OP



There’s a reading or comprehension epidemic here on GAF. The publisher (which wasn’t MS) takes the risk, and any GP deal would have been after the initial sales flurry on both console and PC.

Questioning GAFs reading comprehension and then making wild assumptions about what game he's talking about and what business risk.

The original game Falconeer officially came out as an xbox/windows exclusive November 2020 heavily featured as a launch game, got a gamepass deal and release in Feb 2021. 6 months later it got a switch and PS release. "A year after a sales flurry" it was not unless you think 3-4 months is a year. You're thinking of the PC beta release. But this is all irrelevant. He's not talking about that game and re-entering gamepass when he mentions a deal, a release schedule and "meeting expectations". He's talking about newer games like Bulwark: Evolution or in dev ones. You don't even realise how nonsensical it is to discuss a game that was already on gamepass and removed due to the devs set shorter period (as if MS would decline an indefinite gamepass period for a game they already paid for).

 

[ToneyJ]

No shit an indie is happy so sign a gamepass deal. It's like a bedroom rapper getting signed to a major record label. Doesnt mean gamepass is good for the indie scene or gaming as a whole. We have years a proof now that it kills sales and devalues videogames.

 

[SneakersSO]

"I'd be on Game Pass the moment they could fit me in, no questions asked," Sala begins. "Falconeer did about a million installs on Game Pass." He goes on to explain that, for him, making games is not about the money, and Game Pass was a great way for him to reach a new audience. "I'm a dev, I fucking want players, don't care about the money, let folks play!"

I've said for a long time that a indie-focused iteration of GamePass could be a wonderful, self-sustaining service, if it had solid marketer pushing it. Would be allowed to get on multiple platforms too.

Only issue I have with this quote is this one: 'I'm a dev, I fucking want players, don't care about the money, let folks play!'. To be clear, by the time it entered GamePass, he'd already been paid quite well for it entering the service. 1m installs likely represents a far higher engagement number than Falconeer would've done as a game on its own on any individual platform, let alone on Xbox without Game Pass.

This is a highly personal thing though for every game dev. We all have different goals and wants for the projects we pour our efforts into. Ultimately though, we do want our efforts to be played, and Game Pass is a solid way for indies to release their games on a service that'll get folks to check it out, more so than other services. Still, indies like all other devs, need to be paid, and Game Pass' existence makes it far harder for all games to sell on their own in an ecosystem where Game Pass exists, compared to ecosystems that don't have Game Pass. In the particular instance, this affects Xbox and its ecosystem nearly exclusively, so for The Falconeer, he gets to enjoy Steam/PSN sales revenue, followed by a nice MS GamePass check, but the damage Game Pass has done at the ability for Game Devs to sell at full MSRP at the AA or AAA level on the Xbox ecosystem is undeniable. So while he may not care a lot about money, a lot of other folks in this industry do.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

He's not talking about that game and re-entering gamepass when he mentions a deal, a release schedule and "meeting expectations". He's talking about newer games like Bulwark: Evolution or in dev ones.

Bruv, that answer was a question literally about falconeer:

The Falconeer sold on Xbox as a standard release, but then was added to Game Pass the following year if I am correct?

What made you decide to go the Game Pass route after 12 months, and how do the financials compare between the standard release and Game Pass.

 

[Three]

Bruv, that answer was a question literally about falconeer:

"Bruv" maybe Ozriel was right and reading comprehension sucks generally. Just because somebody framed a question with Falconeer doesn't mean the answer is regarding the Falconeer. When he's asking about a comparison between gamepass and a standard release he's not talking about loving to rerelease falconeer but being unable to. "I'd be on Game Pass the moment they could fit me in, no questions asked". He's talking about loving to do a gamepass release but that not being something he gets to choose and it being MS' decision.

 

[Roberts]

Falconeer was a fun game, bought it when it came out on xbox. Not great or anything but its own unique vibe and the gameplay was fun, at least after he did some changes to controls. It's cool he likes Game Pass and what it does for him.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

just because somebody framed a question with Falconeer doesn't mean the answer is regarding the Falconeer.

It literally is though, you wanting it to be about something else because you started posting before reading doesn't make it so, the entire answer was him clarifying how game pass works, and if ms would have him he would, leading to falconeer being installed a million times.

 

[Tams]

Great if you are one of the chosen ones.
No doubt utterly shit of you aren't.

So, yet another person who is self aware, but still selfish enough to try their best to justify why they get to do well.

C'est la vie.

 

[Three]

It literally is though, you wanting it to be about something else because you started posting before reading doesn't make it so, the entire answer was him clarifying how game pass works, and if ms would have him he would, leading to falconeer being installed a million times.

You trying to make this about the falconeer doesn't make it so:

So there is a major misconception here, glad you asked..

Gamepass isn't a decision that a developer or publisher gets to make. Microsoft carefully curates gamepasses with a regular release cadence. If your game fits the schedule and meets expectations and you have signaled you'r open to making a deal, Microsoft might offer you a slot.

But these things are up to the gods in Redmond and if you get in it's generally a very positive thing for a dev ,especially an indie. They are more than fair in the compensation and you get a huge audience.

But hey I'd be on gamepass the moment they could fit me in ... no questions asked Falconeer did about a million installs on gamepass.

I'm a dev... I fucking want players.. Don't care about the money, let folks play !!! (see another post, I drive a 17 year old beat up jeep, wonder why that is

If you think this is specifically about falconeer and not about the gamepass strategy in general then I can't help you.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

If you think this is specifically about falconeer and not about the gamepass strategy in general then I can't help you.

Question:
For falconeer, what made you go to game pass after release?
Answer:
I didn't go to game pass, so let me explain how game pass actually works, and so if ms would have me I would, leading to one million installs for falconeer.

It's literally about falconeer, you're just arguing now out of desperation because you've been caught not reading and don't to admit being wrong, but of course, that's par for the course with you so this has run its course, good day.

 

[Three]

Question:
For falconeer, what made you go to game pass after release?
Answer:
I didn't go to game pass, so let me explain how game pass actually works, and so if ms would have me I would, leading to one million installs for falconeer.

It's literally about falconeer, you're just arguing now out of desperation because you've been caught not reading and don't to admit being wrong, but of course, that's par for the course with you so this has run its course, good day.

You're trying too hard by paraphrasing the question up the wazoo. Here's the actual question:

"I am always intrigued about the Game Pass business model.

What is your opinion on Game Pass?

The Falconeer sold on Xbox as a standard release, but then was added to Game Pass the following year if I am correct?

What made you decide to go the Game Pass route after 12 months, and how do the financials compare between the standard release and Game Pass. Obviously not specifics, but generally."

Yet you zero in on the discussion being about the falcooner specifically? It's you who's desperate

 

[Punished Miku]

I've said for a long time that a indie-focused iteration of GamePass could be a wonderful, self-sustaining service, if it had solid marketer pushing it. Would be allowed to get on multiple platforms too.

Only issue I have with this quote is this one: 'I'm a dev, I fucking want players, don't care about the money, let folks play!'. To be clear, by the time it entered GamePass, he'd already been paid quite well for it entering the service. 1m installs likely represents a far higher engagement number than Falconeer would've done as a game on its own on any individual platform, let alone on Xbox without Game Pass.

This is a highly personal thing though for every game dev. We all have different goals and wants for the projects we pour our efforts into. Ultimately though, we do want our efforts to be played, and Game Pass is a solid way for indies to release their games on a service that'll get folks to check it out, more so than other services. Still, indies like all other devs, need to be paid, and Game Pass' existence makes it far harder for all games to sell on their own in an ecosystem where Game Pass exists, compared to ecosystems that don't have Game Pass. In the particular instance, this affects Xbox and its ecosystem nearly exclusively, so for The Falconeer, he gets to enjoy Steam/PSN sales revenue, followed by a nice MS GamePass check, but the damage Game Pass has done at the ability for Game Devs to sell at full MSRP at the AA or AAA level on the Xbox ecosystem is undeniable. So while he may not care a lot about money, a lot of other folks in this industry do.

Sounds like they're getting outcompeted if they cant convince consumers to buy their game. Its a win for consumers. One of the only wins this gen.

 

[cireza]

for him, making games is not about the money

Lol

Before getting money, what you try to achieve, is having more than 3 people aware that your game exists. And this is a difficult fight.

So for him Game Pass has probably been a godsend. It is maybe the event that allowed him to shift from "doing my own game on my free time and having another job" to "living from making games".