Kingsley: Game Pass Reduced Risk for New IP Atomfall

Seriously, let’s have a talk about the weird world of gaming business or something. There’s this thing now—yeah, I’m diving right in, sorry—that’s got subscription vibes called Xbox Game Pass… wild, right? Who would’ve thought? Anyway, apparently, it’s turning heads and maybe saving a few. Let me explain. This game studio, Rebellion, with their spiffy new thing called Atomfall—wait, no, rewind—they were testing waters with this new kid on the block. Enter Game Pass, like a lifeguard or something with cash.

So, talking to this CEO guy, Jason Kingsley, from Rebellion, he spills the beans to GI.biz. Nope, I don’t usually quote here but bear with me, this bit’s juicy: Microsoft throws some kind of upfront dough for Atomfall’s spot on Game Pass, which sort of acts like bubble wrap for any risk they were taking by releasing a new series. Now, they unleashed Atomfall back in, um, March? Yeah, pretty sure that’s right. And kaboom! One and a half million players swarmed in. (Seriously? That’s a buzz.)

Kingsley was all like, “Yup, helps with the risk,” though he didn’t really dish on the gritty details (those pesky non-disclosures, probably). Anyway, the guarantee’s there, you know? For income. Whether it sells like hotcakes or cold porridge, who knows? But then, there’s this whole what-if scenario where he wonders aloud—are they chopping into sales? I mean, maybe the diehards would’ve bought it outright if it wasn’t on Game Pass. But the trade-off’s there, he hints. Oh man, I’m lost—wait, right! Disproportionate gains, that’s it.

I sidetracked myself, but back on how Rebellion does this budget juggling act. Kingsley mentions—wait for it—they’re not drowning in $200 million they could just toss around. Seriously, you’d think they were all Scrooge McDuck diving into coins, but nope.

Kingsley went on about how they, like, make sure their budgets don’t explode like fireworks at New Year’s. Keep it tight, keep it real. Like, side note, I think he’s really vibing on this frugality thing. And then he’s comparing the Assassin’s Creed behemoth. Those are rolling in heaps of cash, funding-wise—probably? It’s like they know some secret alchemy for budgets. Hundreds of millions, he speculates… or something absurd.

He then gives us this—how do I put it—humble pie vibe. Their team is chilling in this middle ground. They kinda have to, ‘cause who’s got the spare change for a $200 million project hanging around? If Rebellion’s like me, they’re checking under couch cushions for loose change. Ultimately, they get by making waves in those mid-level waters and, heck, they seem pretty okay with that.

And wow, I lost my train of thought again. But anyway, running with it—Atomfall’s doing its thing on Game Pass, clearly saving Rebellion some bucks while keeping gamers happy. That’s the takeaway here, I guess? But who knows, right? In the end, it just makes you wonder what other fantastic games are lurking in that subscription shelter.