Overview

• Shawn Layden labels subscription-first services like Game Pass “a danger” to the sector’s long-term health and developer wellbeing.
• He argues fixed-fee deals strip away market-driven incentives and leave creators without profit-sharing upside.
• Layden draws a parallel to Spotify, noting games lack touring or re-release avenues that sustain music artists’ earnings.
• Industry data show U.S. gaming subscriptions reached a record $600 million monthly in May 2025 even as players plan to cut back on full-price game purchases.
• He criticizes corporate accounting practices for deploying “financial jiggery-pokery” to mask the true profitability of subscription services.