Subscription-based gaming services have surged in popularity, with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass leading the charge by generating nearly $5 billion in annual revenue. However, Pete Hines, the former senior vice president of global marketing and communications at Bethesda Softworks, has voiced serious concerns about the long-term viability and fairness of these services for game developers. In a recent interview with dbltap, Hines emphasized that while he retired in 2023 after 24 years at Bethesda and no longer works there, his insights remain relevant. He remarked that subscription models prioritize the service providers’ needs over the creators who develop the content, stating, "Subscriptions have become the new four letter word, right? You can't buy a product anymore." Hines argued that without adequately valuing and compensating the developers who create the games, the service itself is "worth jack s***." This stance aligns with criticism from other industry leaders like Strauss Zelnick of Take-Two and former PlayStation executive Jim Ryan, both skeptical of launching new games directly into subscription platforms due to economic concerns. Former PlayStation chairman Shawn Layden has also highlighted the risks of the so-called "Netflix of gaming" model, questioning its sustainability and impact on developers' welfare. The challenges Hines refers to are underscored by recent turmoil in the industry. Microsoft has recently executed mass layoffs, canceled several game projects, and shuttered two Bethesda studios—Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks—in May 2024, although Tango Gameworks was later acquired by Krafton. Raphael Colantonio, Arkane’s original founder, labeled Game Pass an "unsustainable model," forecasting it might eliminate other market models or collapse under its own weight. Hines specifically pointed to the tension between the financial imperatives of subscription services and the creative demands of developers. He stressed the necessity to "properly acknowledge, compensate, and recognize what it takes to create that content and not just make a game, but make a product." Failure to do so, he warns, "is hurting a lot of people," mainly those who produce the games. In contrast to Microsoft's aggressive day-one Game Pass strategy, other major players such as Sony and Electronic Arts have adopted more cautious approaches with their respective subscription models, PlayStation Plus and EA Play Pro, often reserving new releases for purchase outside subscriptions. As subscription services evolve, the debate around developer support, economic sustainability, and business models continues to unfold amid calls for greater recognition of creators’ contributions in an increasingly subscription-driven gaming landscape.