Pentiment Wouldn't Exist If Not For Game Pass, Director Confirms

Josh Sawyer, Game Director for the recently released narrative mystery game, Pentiment, confirmed that the title would likely have never even been made if not for the existence of Xbox's Game Pass service.

[darkrider]

Marketing and PR talk.

[Jin_Sakai]

Yea it’s beginning to really show at this point. {Insert game here} wouldn’t exist if not for Game Pass.

[Lifexline]

Lol it really bothers you huh

Maybe that is actually how he feels.

[gangsta_red]

Yeah, yeah, we know, any type of statements made in favor of MS and GP is PR talk or paid for...really getting tiring hearing this in every similar article here.

Maybe it's actually true, think about it. You really think a game looking like this from Obsidian would have been made if not for a guaranteed audience to play it?

If Obsidian wasn't owned by MS and released a game that looked like this, all you would hear from the net (especially here on this site) is, "Where's New Vegas!?", "No one asked for this!" "I'm not paying for that!".

But because of game pass, they're able to continue making smaller games that so far have been a hit, Grounded and now this.

[Godmars290]

@Superlink520:

The point here is that a 3rd party is utilizing GP versus an in house MS studio.

If I'm wrong on this and it is in house, something MS commissioned, then great. This is a good thing for MS and GP. Otherwise this is just random and you should be asking why MS is backing things like this.

If Mario, Zelda God Of War scores 9s and 10s, Nintendo and Sony had a hand in that. That's them continuing successful franchises.

If some random 3rd party gets a hit and praises GP for it, then that's MS catching a break though no actual effort on their part. May as well be talking about some barely known title on Steam.

[Lightning77]

Ragnarok is out go play one of the best games of the year instead of crap posting every Xbox article in sight. Obviously this game would gotten lost in the shuffle with Gow and COD on everyone's minds. Gamepass just gave the game exposure.

I don't care about this game at all personally but this crap posting is getting real bold real fast.

[agnosticgamer]

Right. Because you know more than Josh Sawyer. His reasons if you actually read the article are on point. You cannot possibly know more about a game and decisions behind creating the game… Than the director of the game.

[sparky77]

It's thanks to Game Pass why Xbox has the most diverse line up in the industry.

Sims (flight sim), FPS (Halo), TPS (Gears), 3rd person adventure (Hellblade), WRPGs (Bethesda), 3D platformers (Psychonauts), 2D platformers (Ori), arcade racers (Horizon), sim racers (Motorsports), interactive stories (Pentiment), survival (Grounded), immersive sims (Arkane), RTS (AoE).

No one else comes close.

[-Foxtrot]

Funny how the ones not really under Microsoft (before they got bought anyway) are better than the core franchises Microsoft have had for years

Says it all really

Thanks to Gamepass? Or money?

[Crows90]

We all know the answer to that. Money gets you stuff..funny though it takes it away from others and this by the guys that claim to want everything accessible to as most people possible.

[Petebloodyonion]

And what did MS take away?
Last I checked Bethesda games, Psychonauts, and Helblade are still on other consoles.

[lodossrage]

@Petebloodyonion,

Each of those games were already slated per contract to be on Playstation BEFORE MS bought them.

Is Hellblade 2 going to be on Playstation? is Elder Scroll 6? is Starfield?

[GamesAsAService]

Is that not one reason a company buys another? If you have weaknesses, but lots of money, you can pay to become more compelling by purchasing companies that can serve to make your offering more compelling.

What? Is the expectation that Microsoft should just sit on their hands with a lacklustre lineup of games and franchises and then eventually fade into oblivion? Should they sit idly?

Sometimes I am just confused in terms of what you actually expected them to do.

If you play video games, you want there to be more video games that you will enjoy to play. If a company is continually not making games you want to play, then if they start changing their strategy and diversifying what they put out, eventually they might make something you want to play. It's a numbers game.

[Petebloodyonion]

@lodossrage
Was there a Helblade 2 announced before the acquisition. Was Hellblade a massive franchise?
Ppl always mentioned Starfield but was this an established IP?

should I blame Sony if they make Sunset overdrive2 PlayStation exclusive when the initial was a flop?
Shenmue3?

[lodossrage]

@Petebloodyonion

Regardless of whether Hellblade 2 was announced or not, that sure as hell would have been multiplatform, just like the first one was.

And as for Starfield, it doesn't have to be established. It was going to be multiplatform and now it's not since the buyout. Period.

Games being established was never the question. The issue was things being taken away. I can't remember the last time Bethesda made a game that was exclusive before the buyout.

Ok, Sony actually helped fund Shenmue 3. It wouldn't have been made otherwise. Are you going to tell me Starfield wasn't going to happen if Microsoft hadn't came along?

And last I remember, Sony isn't making a new Sunset Overdrive. IF they do so, THEN I'll entertain that question.

You're trying to conflate your personal hypothetical with reality

[shinoff2183]

Is this a real post sparky?

[andy85]

This is a massive reach. PS has all those genres and more apart from a flight sim and that's not really a game

[BrainSyphoned]

No one comes closer to having old dead IP like Konami does than Xbox, very astute of you.

[Aloymetal]

''It's thanks to Game Pass why Xbox has the most diverse line up in the industry.''
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[tay8701]

lol sony absolutely trounces xbox in game quality, its not even close. yes there are alot of indie type that are getting brought to the forefront thank s to gamepass, but you have to also take into account the decrease in AAA games thanks to ganepass as well.

[ChasterMies]

I played the first Hellblade on PS4. No Game Pass needed. I can also play Psychonaughts on PS5. Halo Infinite multiplayer is free on PC and Xbox. No Game Pass needed. Horizon built its fan base pre-Game Pass.

How is this lineup “thanks to Game Pass”?

[Terry_B]

Lol, even the Switch has a similar..if not bigger diverse lineup.

[Inverno]

So in other words MS is holding back it's developers, and they would never think to make something less risky and less expensive if not for a subscription service. That's sad

[gangsta_red]

It just isn't MS, it's the industry. It's why Sony abandoned JRPG's and Japanese niche games , it's why EA continues to put out Battlefields and Maddens, it's why Ubi gives us a new Assassin Creed every other month. There's very little wiggle room to create new IP's in today's market, even less room for developers to make smaller games against well known huge IP's on the market.

[Eonjay]

That's not true. Sony also gave us Astrobot, Dreams, Concrete Genie, entire AAA VR games, Demon Souls, Death Stranding. And took huge risks with their established IP like God of War. New, riskier, and niche experiences and all without needing a subsidized subscription to make it happen. Microsoft isn't in the same league when it comes to risk taking.

[andy85]

What the guy above said. And there's plenty of new IPs on the horizon. And I'm not sure what the JRPG comment is about. I think I've played more of them in the last 2 years than I ever have

[gangsta_red]

@Eonjay
It's very true, where are all of Sony's JRPGs they used to pump out from their PS/PS2 days? Where are the niche games from Sony Japan Studio? Naming one or two games over many years doesn't invalidate my point.

Entire AAA VR games, from where, Sony? They basically abandoned the PSVR and left it to other companies to make and Sony even closed down a few of their own studios that were dedicated to making them VR games. Huge risk for God of War?? How? By taking an established, extremely popular IP and giving it the same old Sony, over the shoulder, third person, cinematic emotional, single player experience?

Meanwhile Obsidian is making Grounded, Pentiment, Outer World's 2 and Avowed, smaller games and big budget triple A titles and all because they have the comfort of a subsidized service.

"Microsoft isn't in the same league when it comes to risk taking"

MS has taken far more risks compared to Sony. Sony has played it extremely safe, especially this gen so far.

[tay8701]

yah Horizon, ghost of tsushima, returnal, death stranding, dayz gone say hello. dony takes quite a few risks asctually.

[Chevalier]

Nintendo and Playstation make new IPs regularly and have a regular infusion of new 3rd party IPs too. Just wait till 2024 when new games come out for Xbox then you will one of those hypocrites that goes oh look at all these new IPs by Xbox studios.

Seriously you cherry pick annual titles as examples, but, when it comes to the millionth Forza, Halo or Gears you guys come in about how much 'value' Gamepass has.

But the idea that this game couldn't exist without Gamepass is absolutely ridiculous. Go look at the small new IPs from Bandai, Embracer etc like Little Nightmares, Stray, Sifu, Goat Simulator, Deep Rock Galactic etc. Lots of risky small projects from companies much smaller than Xbox/Microsoft.

[gangsta_red]

@Chev
"Nintendo and Playstation make new IPs regularly..."

Nintendo? I swear you guys are on a script to just automatically bash MS and just include Sony/Nintendo for fun. What new IP's has Nintendo made regularly?

"you will one of those hypocrites that goes oh look at all these new IPs by Xbox studios."

I seriously doubt that, because i was never the one who constantly and foolishly complained that MS had no new IP's. But I can guarantee you'll still find some type of asinine complaint to still yell about when MS does release new Ip's.

"Seriously you cherry pick annual titles as examples, but, when it comes to the millionth Forza, Halo or Gears you guys come in about how much 'value' Gamepass has."

Yeah, way to miss the point there, as usual. It's because of the need or reliance of these annual titles that these big publishers and developers can't take many chances on smaller games or new IP's. Let me ask you this, how many small, niche games has Naughty Dog, Insominiac, Santa Monica or Bend Studios released these past few years? You really believe an executive producer with a lead artist could walk into Sony's boardroom and pitch a game like Pentiment and have it greenlit for development?

"But the idea that this game couldn't exist without Gamepass is absolutely ridiculous."

Maybe read the article and get some context before saying absolutely stupid statements like this. It would not exist, for Obsidian. These guys struggled to make both Pillars of Eternity, I even think they had to use GoFund me or something similar, so yes, this game would not have happened or would have been extremely difficult to the point of the dev giving up as stated in the actual article.

"Lots of risky small projects from companies much smaller than Xbox/Microsoft."

Guy accuses me of cherry picking, then proceeds to cherry pick the most successful ones out of the millions that don't get any recognition. too funny

[Lightning77]

Yeah, wrong. In other words they were making this game 9 months before MS even knew about it. This was there little passion project they wanted to make for a while but nobody would of helped publish its because of what kinda game it is.

In this case MS isn't holding anyone back they're letting creators create.

[Inverno]

You contradict yourself. MS isn't holding them back, but they were making it in secrecy? Ok.

[Lightning77]

You're reaching pretty hard they would of cancelled it if they were holding them back. Grounded wouldn't be a thing either. Avowed and Outer Worlds 2 are being made.

[shinoff2183]

Doesn't seem like a game I'm interested in at all.

[Crows90]

Its extraordinarily niche. Im all for reading text in games but thats the whole game here pretty much.

[porkChop]

You don't enjoy visual novels like Danganronpa or Zero Escape?

[blackblades]

@Porkchop Zero Escape prequel was great i think it was that the one on vita. After playing that open my eyes on visual novels. Games like genshin I can't bare reading that long dialog.

[Crows90]

@porkchop

I recognize theyre great...but I havent been able to get into them...I played a couple of them though. Pentiment is a little tougher for me to get into though...maybe its the style or lack of early hook..Im still playing it though. Sometimes you gotta push through to the filling in the middle.

[franwex]

Hence that’s why it exists due to Game Pass. Otherwise Obsidian would have to make another type of game that is not as niche.

[blacktiger]

If it wasn't for gamepass then you couldn't release it? Man that must be a bad game,

[Elda]

Sounds about right. Though the game has gotten praise & good reviews as a GP subscriber I have no interest to play the game. After seeing gameplay videos of Pentiment it looks very boring.

[Rocosaurus]

Try it out for 10 min, you might be surprised.

[Elda]

I know what I like & what interests me when it comes to video games & Pentiment is far from looking interesting in my eyes. Not at all my cup of tea.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Interesting…. You could probably say the same about alotta 1st party games and their supporters…. Interesting

[MrNinosan]

So before GamePass, Indie games was not a thing?

[TheTony316]

Makes sense. Indie games didn't exist before Gamepass. /s

[Abear21]

Lol, yeah not on Xbox. Publishers know that the only dialogue choices most Xbox players like to make is what profanity to call you through the headset.

[gold_drake]

wut? lol
the guy means "money".

[Tzuno]

BS! The game is not even a Phenomenon

[wiz7191]

I don’t understand the hate for gamepass when Sony is implementing the same kind of service , I definitely agree Microsoft needs to do better in the AAA department. I also love the fact they are giving you choices and an easy way to get into the ecosystem , matter of fact just gaming in general. Maybe this is just how the developer feels given they know it would get a audience because it literally not lose to the customer to give it a try , ppl can choose to purchase it from that point on. I have a PS5 and Series X , I can’t remote play with my PS5 like I can with my series X. I can take my controller and literally sync it with whatever device I’m using and continue what ever game I’m playing on the go. Obsidian just dropped a sleeper hit with Grounded , which is another amazing game which is slept on.

[P_Bomb]

I have a year left on my sub, which should take me into Starfield territory if all goes well. I’ve since spent money in the ecosystem as well; it’s a great gateway into all things Xbox.

[Abear21]

It’s true, a niche narrative driven game would not have gotten published traditionally on bang-bang shoot-shoot Xbox. Sad but true. They focus on FPS and online multiplayer games. This is their problem, not enough different artsy titles like their competitors that embrace that sort of thing

[anast]

The game couldn't stand on its own. The PR team must have accidently let this one through.

[Terry_B]

Captain Basch lives!

[Kekewei]

I kind of agree, gamepass is good for low budget and small market games.

[SpineSaw]

This kinda proves that Microsoft is making the Developers do this little Indie type games to feed the service.