Game Pass Model Hurts Game Studios, Says Ex-Bethesda Executive

After nearly 25 years at Bethesda, Pete Hines is sounding an alarm about the future of video game development in the subscription gaming services era. Hines, who recently retired after helping ship major titles like Starfield, Redfall, and Hi-Fi Rush, claimed that leading platforms such as Xbox Game Pass risk “undercutting” the very game creators they depend on, especially if compensation fails to keep pace with the value studios bring.

“Subscriptions have become the new four-letter word,” Hines said in a recent statement to DBLTAP, arguing that services risk devaluing games if they do not adequately “acknowledge, compensate, and recognize” what it takes to make them. Hines says current models bundle devs into an ecosystem that often does not pay enough, deepening the gap between what platforms offer and what creators need. This impacts the industry globally and leaves content creators “fitting into an ecosystem that is not properly valuing and rewarding” their work.

Hines’ comments point to recent controversies, such as Hi-Fi Rush’s early critical success on Game Pass not preventing Microsoft’s shutdown of developer Tango Gameworks, and Microsoft’s evolving approach of shifting away from day-one launches in cheaper subscription tiers. The former publishing chief suggests these trends, paired with company layoffs and consolidations after multi-billion-dollar acquisitions, reflect “shortsighted” business logic that ultimately hurts both fans and developers.

India is a fast-growing market for gaming subscriptions. Xbox Game Pass PC starts at INR 449/month, while Game Pass Ultimate (which includes console, PC, and cloud) is priced at INR 829/month. Local payment options like UPI and Paytm have boosted accessibility, and PC and mobile players are increasingly jumping onto subscription plans to access a wide, rotating library of games.

Meanwhile, Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service will launch in India this November, promising RTX 5080-grade streaming performance and global content pricing. With Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and soon GeForce Now, Indian gamers have more legitimate subscription choices than ever before but key questions about sustainability for local and global creators remain unresolved in Hines’ view.