"Bad Gate 3" Distribution Director: Players want better games than free!

Jul 06 2025

Recently, Raphael Colantonio, founder of "Shame" developer Arkane Studios, criticized Microsoft's XGP subscription service, saying it did not cause harm to the entire gaming industry. At the same time, Michael Douse, the distribution director of Larion, a developer of Baldur's Gate 3, also expressed a similar view, believing that this business model is not advisable.

  Afterward, Michael Dou further added on Twitter that many people's misunderstanding of XGP is that "players want free games", but in fact, players value the quality of the game more. He said: "Games can be free or paid, but it must be good enough. This principle has always been the core of our industry and will always apply."

In the comment section, some players refuted that "every player has a different definition of 'good game'" and believed that this standard was too subjective. "You can't simply say that you make a good game because everyone has a different understanding of it and the player group itself is not consistent." In this regard, Michael Douse insisted that this does not change the general consensus that "players want good games."

 This also reminds developers that when pursuing business model innovation, they should not ignore players' high standards for game content quality.

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