Xbox Game Pass is often hailed as one of the best deals in gaming for consumers, but the benefits to developers often go uncelebrated. It often lets indie games get more eyes on them than they would without the juggernaut, and the pay-outs from Microsoft could prove lucrative (although, of course, deals that happen behind closed doors are impossible to speak to). This proves true even for first-party Microsoft studios like Obsidian Entertainment, specifically for its latest release: Pentiment.
Since Microsoft acquired Obsidian Entertainment, it has proven itself to be a powerhouse for the company. Obsidian Entertainment is associated with fantastic RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas (helmed by Pentiment's Josh Sawyer) and has worked on/is working on games like Grounded, The Outer Worlds, Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2, and reportedly yet another secret project like Pentiment once was. But it seems Pentiment specifically would have never existed without Xbox Game Pass.
It's no secret that Josh Sawyer once pitched a game like Pentiment years ago, but it was never approved. Part of that is because no publisher would touch it; it's something unique and therefore a huge risk for any publisher. Xbox Game Pass made revisiting it now possible. As Sawyer put it during a recent interview with Wired, "...Game Pass, the stated purpose is to offer this variety of games of different types and different lengths and different genres, including very oddball things. I said, 'Yes. All right. Sounds like a great opportunity to make something very small and weird.'"
Sawyer doesn't believe Pentiment could have found a publisher without the Microsoft acquisition and said the possibility of crowdfunding it was a "maybe." Game Pass comes in here because fans already subscribe to it. Some can check out Pentiment, play it for five minutes, and decide whether or not it's for them. After all, since it's already on the platform, it's not something fans would have wasted money on, not with all the other games available on Xbox Game Pass.
Pentiment is something very different and a risk in the gaming industry, but something that should be applauded. Sawyer's knack for storytelling has proven itself time and again with the franchises he has spearheaded at Obsidian Entertainment, and Pentiment proves it once more. However, despite it being available on day one for the service, it seems some still aren't happy. Xbox Game Pass' Pentiment has been review bombed since launch, with low scores citing its narrative direction, slow pace, and more visual-novel-like nature as something unfitting for a AAA developer like Obsidian.
What goes ignored is that Pentiment was led by a small team at Obsidian, while the company continues its focus on its larger RPG. In a time when sequels and safe bets are everywhere, risky games should be applauded and developers should be allowed to explore the unknown. It's not for everyone and never was going to be, but this is just another case of review bombing making no sense.
Pentiment is currently available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Wired