Cult of the Lamb publisher Devolver Digital has, as revealed by its latest financial results, had offers to put some of its titles on a Game Pass-style subscription service. However, it turned these offers down as the company believed they undervalued the games.
Devolver Digital, has recently released their unaudited financial results for the first half of 2023. Known for publishing indie games like the adorable yet vaguely terrifying Cult of the Lamb, it has seen a drop in revenue, which the report attributes to several high-profile games being delayed.
However, that’s not the most interesting thing about the report, which was spotted by Kotaku’s Ethan Gach. It also explains that the company declined an offer to put several of its games on a Game Pass-style subscription service.
The report doesn’t state whether it was, indeed, Game Pass, but it was some sort of subscription service. Some Devolver Digital games, such as Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem are on Game Pass. Others, such as Cult of the Lamb and Carrion, are not.
But in this case, Devolver Digital felt that the offer didn’t adequately reflect the value of the games. According to the report, it “declined subscription deal proposals that undervalued the titles’ value and revenue opportunities in 2023 and 2024.”
Devolver also points to this as another reason for its drop in revenue. Though that doesn’t necessarily mean they’d have been better off, in the long term, if they took it.
People have, for some time, been debating the value of Game Pass-style subscription services. Developer Cococumber, creators of Ravenlok, had nothing but good things to say about it.
In the past, though, some other developers have given it a more mixed reception. Devolver themselves, known for their off-the wall streams, mocked subscription services with their fake Devolver MaxPass+.
We doubt Devolver Digital is going to come out and say which subscription service who low-balled them on their games. But it’ll be interesting to see if this sours them on future subscription deals.
If you’re looking to subscribe to Game Pass, here is a list of all of the PC Game Pass games you can play right now. Or if you want something as unsettling as Devolver’s Cult of the Lamb, here are the best horror games on PC.