There's been loads of speculation around whether subscription services, like Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus Premium, cannibalize full game sales. At least in the case of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, one analyst reckons being included in a subscription catalogue actually helped it become a big sales success.
Sandfall Interactive recently announced that its debut game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, sold over eight million copies in its first year alone. The feat is very impressive for a first-time studio making an original game in a genre that usually doesn't penetrate the mainstream unless it's attached to names like Final Fantasy, Persona, or Pokemon.
Circana's senior director and video game analyst Mat Piscatella says the game's abnormal sales success might have something to do with how it launched into Xbox Game Pass on day one and has stayed in the service ever since.
"Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one great example of a game where its sales potential was likely increased because of its inclusion in a subscription service," he writes on Bluesky.
On the surface, having a game be available to millions of subscribers at no extra cost seems like an easy way to kneecap a game's sales, but there are certain situations where I think the opposite is true. Again, Clair Obscur is an original game made by a previously unknown developer - perhaps word of how damn good the game is wouldn't have travelled quite as far without the lower barrier to entry.
Sea of Thieves and Sea of Stars have also been big commercial hits despite debuting onto Game Pass, but it's not a sure fire way to sell millions of copies. Baldur's Gate 3 director Swen Vincke promised fans they'd never find Larian Studios games on subscription services because "direct from developer to players is the way."
