Justin Roiland on Why High on Life Came to Game Pass (and How That Will Help Make Future Games)

[Tears of the Cows 1,226]

High on Life is the number 1 game on Xbox Gamepass currently and set a record for the biggest single player launch. It’s also very high in Steam (was 2nd place last time I checked). Despite average reviews, the game is a hit. 

 

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/12/21/high-on-life-game-pass-future-games-podcast-justin-roiland/
 

Roiland’s research helped him conclude that Game Pass is, “a powerful tool to get a lot of reach. If you really do believe you made something worthwhile, it’s a pretty powerful tool. And that’s what I gathered in doing my due diligence on it on my own. A lot of folks told me that non-Game Pass games that they ship versus Game Pass games, [they get] 7x sales.”

 

Most excitingly for fans of Roiland and his studio, Squanch, is that Game Pass won’t just help them make High on Life, but future games, too:

 

“We are an indie studio. We’re small. And we do want a war chest to make a bunch more fun crazy games. And that was of consideration for us. It’s like, ‘OK, we really want this game to get out there. We want it to do. We want sales to do well.’ And I think that, yeah, I mean, from what I gathered in my little poking around and asking different folks, Game Pass was a huge value-add in that respect.”

Edited December 22, 2022 by ghostz

[Twinblade★ 3,983]

I haven’t played it yet but I remember obsidian saying they wouldn’t have been able to make Pentiment if not for Gamepass. Publishers wouldn’t have funded a game like that due to its limited appeal.  
 

Gamepass is allowing studios to make more innovative and risky games if you think about it. I’m not sure how any gamers could be against that.

[kaz 2,445]

I think TB's last thread about how MS doesn't need exclusives got derailed so hard. Like I made fun of it because everyone needs exclusives not because hobo pass is inheritably bad but everyone keeps attacking the service.

 

It's really good value for the money and definitely let's you try games you otherwise wouldn't play, not to mention they have good games too, people denying that are blind af lmfao.

 

And if $10 are too much you can still do it like my poor ass and spent like 2 minutes for these stupid internet searches to get enough points to keep hobopass for free.  

 

that said. high on life kinda looks shitty to me, like it's trying too hard down the line

 

didn't know about Pentiment but I can see it's true. I will try it but it honestly doesn't look that interestin to me unless it has a good plot and there is some cool shit happening, not a  fan of that century, i mean that alone doesn't get my dick hard.

Edited December 22, 2022 by kaz

[sugarhigh 519]

Squanch is shaping up to be the new Double Fine. Good for them, I'll buy their games on Steam.

[-GD-X★ 7,808]

i like the game's art design. the humor is eh. i'll try it out, though.

[Tears of the Cows 1,226]

13 minutes ago, -GD-X said:

i like the game's art design. the humor is eh. i'll try it out, though.

I’ve never watched Rick and Morty but this game actually has some funny self aware moments. Talks a lot about the industry and comments on exactly what you’re doing, and how you’re doing it. 
 

it made me really sick when I first tried but now it seems better. Just playing it in like 30 min increments tho. 
 

ie I was running through a level and my gun screamed “let’s just sprint everywhere and not look at any fucking thing!!” Or “you can’t do that in fallout!”  
 

Really nothing has missed (yet) to the point I thought it was cringe, but I’m still early on. The physics are a lil wonky tho. 
 

my biggest WTF tho is that it has no HDR, which is mind-boggling considering its 2022 and the art style of the game 

Edited December 22, 2022 by ghostz

[-GD-X★ 7,808]

Just now, ghostz said:

I’ve never watched Rick and Morty but this game actually has some funny self aware moments. Talks a lot about the industry and comments on exactly what you’re doing, and how you’re doing it. 
 

it made me really sick when I first tried but now it seems better. Just playing it in like 30 min increments tho. 
 

ie I was running through a level and my gun screamed “let’s just sprint everywhere and not look at any fucking thing!!” Or “you can’t do that in fallout!”  
 

Really nothing has missed (yet) to the point I thought it was cringe, but I’m still early on. The physics are a lil wonky tho. 

i like the weird weapons. that's why i  played sunset overdrive. exploding teddy bears the rest of the game , though, was eh.

[jehurey 3,298]

9 hours ago, Twinblade said:

I haven’t played it yet but I remember obsidian saying they wouldn’t have been able to make Pentiment if not for Gamepass. Publishers wouldn’t have funded a game like that due to its limited appeal.  
 

Gamepass is allowing studios to make more innovative and risky games if you think about it. I’m not sure how any gamers could be against that.

Pentiment is made by a studio that is owned by Microsoft, essentially a first party studio for a company that owns a hardware platform.

 

They will always greenlight projects, big and small, that are different and niche because they want variety on their platform.

 

Nintendo does this with other smaller game projects. Sony also does this, in the past, as well.

 

Its not a byproduct of GamePass, its a byproduct of being a first party studio.