"It is very worth having your game on Game Pass": As debut RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 passes 1 million sales, Palworld dev defends the decision to launch on Xbox's subscription service

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has taken a lot of people by surprise and become the joint-highest-rated game of the year so far, matching only Blue Prince. It's an RPG made by a small team backed by a stellar voice cast, and Palworld's community manager Bucky has some things to say to those who are questioning its day-one Game Pass launch.

"Expedition 33 is the latest game to get unwillingly dragged through gaming Twitter as people debate the viability of Game Pass," Bucky tweets. "I feel like I’ve just a little more knowledge on the topic than most so I’ll just say yes, yes it is very worth having your game on Game Pass."

Clair Obscur sold 500,000 copies faster than developer Sandfall Interactive "ever imagined," and that's despite launching alongside the Oblivion remaster, which is also on Game Pass. By day three, it had sold over one million copies, and that doesn't include Game Pass players at all, so it's safe to say the game is doing well, despite also being available on the subscription service at no extra cost.

"I speak from the pov of an indie btw," adds Bucky. Pocketpair had Craftopia on Game Pass for "a year (or two)" and Palworld is still on there. "I’ve no experience working in the AAA space so I’m not sure what sort of deals are cooked up there, but we have shipped two games on Game Pass and were very happy with both so all I can say is I’m happy with the experience I had."

So, while it may not be the preferred platform for every developer, don't count a game out just because it's on Game Pass.

In the meantime, check out all the best Game Pass games you can play right now.