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hello!
To be honest, it's harder to be a person who has to create something than to be an article that reports on an event. ㅠㅠ So without further ado, let's get started and see what news we had this week!

Title is on a blue background! Quickly look at only the content you are interested in~

Those of you with a keen eye will know that there are only 6 topics, which means that some of the topics can be quite long, lol.
🗓️ [Game Discussion of the Week] Are Subscription Services Sustainable? ⚔️ [Industry Conflict of the Week] The Truth Battle Surrounding Subnautica 2 🧑‍⚖️ [Court Summons of the Week] Monster Hunter Wilds Cancels Optimization Lecture and Suggests Response to Customer Abuse 🤣 [Game Humor of the Week] I quit gaming and my life changed. 😶‍🌫️ [Steam Summary of the Week] Tsundoku (積ん読) culture feeds Steam. 🔊 [Game News of the Week] Short but important industry news
🗓️ [Game Discussion of the Week] Are Subscription Services Sustainable?
New Games Coming to Game Pass in July 25th
Microsoft's subscription game service 'Game Pass', which it has declared to be the 'future of gaming' and is leading , is now facing head-on criticism regarding its sustainability . There is a heated debate about whether profitability is beneficial or detrimental to both gamers and developers, as well as the stability of corporate management.
Game Pass is a method whereby a game license is purchased from MS for a certain period of time (prepaid/lump sum payment) and the game is provided to users during that period. Therefore, as more and more studios with solid portfolios and no need to pay separately increase, MS can monopolize all the subscription fees and become more profitable. To achieve this, MS has been aggressively acquiring various game developers and has been able to introduce a large number of high-quality AAA games to Game Pass.
However, the deterioration of profitability due to the acquisition cost reaching hundreds of billions of won was also pointed out as the culprit that triggered this mass layoff by MS, and Game Pass was pointed out as the culprit .
Meanwhile, Raphael, the founder of Arkane Studios, the creator of the Dishonored series, posted a tweet criticizing the sustainability of the Game Pass. There has been a lot of discussion about subscription services.
I think Gamepass is an unsustainable model . It's been doing more and more damage to the industry over the last 10 years. Even though MS is holding on to "infinite money", at some point you have to face reality.
I don't think Game Pass can coexist with other models.
Negative: It's a structure that ultimately ends up being detrimental to both developers and gamers.
The starting point of this debate was the opinion that the current Game Pass is artificially maintained with Microsoft's infinite financial investment, and 1️⃣it is difficult to make a profit in the long term . And there was also talk that this directly affected the deterioration of 2️⃣developer profitability through cases where game sales plummeted after the introduction of subscription services (e.g. Outer Wilds, Halo Infinite, Gears 5, etc.). It was also argued that the gameplay tendencies of gamers using Game Pass have changed, so that consumers do not purchase games at full price, but 3️⃣tend to “wait and play with Game Pass.” This is also a factor affecting the deterioration of developer profitability.
4️⃣ Problems have also been pointed out in game design . Rather than a game that ends after one play, there is a possibility that the game structure will be designed to keep players in the game pass for a long time. In addition, the probability of introducing additional payment elements such as in-game payments (battle pass, season pass, cosmetics) that can generate additional revenue within the game pass is significantly higher.
Ultimately, it is my opinion that this unsustainable service model will lead to a deterioration in the developers' profitability and will have a negative impact on gamers in both the short and long term. In particular , Raphael emphasized that Game Pass is not a sustainable model, saying, “It’s cheap for a reason.”
Positive: It is a necessary entity that provides diversity in the market, diversity in users, and new opportunities for developers.
The fact that you can enjoy a variety of games, even the latest games, at a low price , which is also the marketing slogan of Game Pass, is 1️⃣ advantageous to consumers in every way.
And unlike Steam, which releases a wide variety of games without any filters, if you think about the fact that only a select few games are included in the lineup each month, it can help with the 2️⃣gamer's choice paralysis , and it can also be a great opportunity for the 3️⃣developers that are selected. Especially for indie games that can't afford to spend a lot on marketing, it's a chance to kill two birds with one stone: marketing and making money. There were also opinions that this filter is healthy and contributes to a proper gaming culture.
4️⃣ Some say that the game market has expanded and its diversity has actually improved thanks to the existence of alternative revenue models and coexistence with existing markets. Some people only use Game Pass, while others use Steam or Epic together. They don’t stop using Steam or Epic because they subscribe to Game Pass. This is an interpretation of the market expansion of the game industry.
Games like 'Claire Obscure: The 33rd Expedition' were able to record huge sales despite being released on Game Pass. They also argued that the poor performance of some games released on Game Pass is a problem with the games, not with the service .
Even those who spoke positively disagreed with Microsoft's assertion that "Game Pass is the future of gaming," but emphasized that it has established itself as "one aspect of a diverse market."
Claire Obscur: Expedition 33, which has sold over 3.5 million copies, has been available on Game Pass since day one.
▷ Alternative models for game subscription services
But on the other hand, various revenue models are being presented in which developers and subscription services coexist.
For example, 1️⃣ Revenue distribution based on play time/engagement A portion of the subscription fee is allocated to the platform's operating expenses, and the remaining portion is distributed to the games that gamers actually play . In the case of “one-month subscription to get access to new AAA games,” which is a common practice with Game Pass, those games with concentrated play time can receive a large portion of the subscription fee. Previously, when releasing a new game on Game Pass, they had to endure a decrease in sales, but in this case, there is enough benefit to release a new game on Game Pass. Also, games that many people look for can generate continuous revenue, which can motivate the aftercare of the game .
In this case, a compromise has been proposed to discourage games that are just a waste of time, such as idle games, by using an engagement-based method with a point system based on factors such as game progress/achievement achievements.
The 2️⃣tiered/segmented subscription model presented in the past has actually been applied to the Game Pass model . This is a tiered model divided into a top-tier subscription model that provides access to new AAA releases and a basic model that provides a limited library . This model has been noted as a model that can guarantee sufficient exposure even if indie games settle into the base tier. On the other hand, people who prefer a specific genre often do not have games they like in the monthly subscription, so a cheap split model that only subscribes to a specific genre has been presented as an alternative that allows consumers to get the games they want in a narrow market and allows developers to create a safe distribution channel.
If the stove also comes out with a subscription model for minors, I think I would seriously consider subscribing. Lol
Inhafe, a subscription game play service that was briefly tested on the stove
A 3️⃣subscription + purchase model borrowing from PSN was also mentioned.
Subscription services offer limited access for a limited amount of time or volume, and when subscribers purchase content, they are offered a lower price than the regular price. However, since this was a model that had a “paid trial” controversy , the response was not good. Still, for PSN subscribers, the additional discount they get when purchasing the game is a secretly sweet benefit!
In some discounts , PSN subscribers are guaranteed even bigger discounts . Even though it may seem small, it's a sweet deal when you consider the cumulative discounts!
The 4️⃣ cross-subscription model, which was surprisingly an opinion but was actually applied, was also presented . It is not a subscription to just Game Pass, but an expanded/integrated subscription service that connects subscription services such as EA Plus and PS Plus, so that if you subscribe to just one, you can subscribe to other services as well. This model has been attracting attention because it allows for the synergy of both subscription services at a lower additional cost than with Game Pass alone.
Surprisingly , the cross-subscription model that provides subscription benefits to Game Pass has actually been implemented recently for Naver Plus subscribers .
The “Cross-Subscription Model” Adopted by Naver Plus
▷ Contrary to popular belief, “It was profitable even considering the losses !”
Christopher Dring, Senior Editor of Games Business, said: I posted a rebuttal to claims that Game Pass is not profitable and has only hurt first-party developers. Citing inside sources, he wrote, “Even taking into account the losses incurred by entering the Game Pass, it was profitable.”
Even this revenue report came before MS released its games on PS5 (18 months ago). He said that the current margins would be much better, with all of the PS5's top-selling titles being Xbox first-party games.
Developers say they shouldn't overlook the fact that they're not releasing their games solely on Game Pass, but that Game Pass exists as one of many revenue streams .
I said that looking only at the game pass is narrow-minded.
▷ Is this really a sustainable model?
I've used Game Pass several times as a "cheap paid trial version of new AAA games" and then bought games I liked by adding them to my wishlist on Steam and other places. That's why I hope it continues regardless of profitability. I see it as a good means of providing diversity and choice for gamers.
From a business perspective, the efficiency of the revenue model is an advantage, and from a gamer perspective, the accessibility and diversity are advantages. It’s clear that subscription gaming services are now moving beyond mere experimentation to becoming part of the mainstream ecosystem.
What do you guys think about the Game Pass model?

Is it sustainable? Will it kill other revenue models?

⚔️ [Industry Conflict of the Week] Conflict Surrounding Subnautica 2: Bonus Evasion? Irresponsible Management?
The management change incident at 'Unknown World Entertainment', which we briefly reported on last week, is growing significantly. To understand the events, we need to look at them in chronological order.
<2021>
Krafton has acquired Unknown Worlds , the developer of Subnautica. The acquisition was worth a whopping 900 billion won, making it the largest M&A deal for Krafton. They also revealed their goal of growing Subnautica into a second Battleground. And it is said that one of the acquisition conditions at the time was a promise to pay a bonus of up to $250 million if certain sales targets were achieved by the end of 2025 .
<2024~2025>
Subnautica 2 was originally scheduled to enter Early Access in early 2024 , but delays in the development schedule and internal confusion over direction led to the planned Early Access being pushed back indefinitely. At this point, Krafton claimed that some executives had given up on game development and were focusing on personal projects (such as movies) .
<July 2, 2025> There was a CEO change in question . The existing management team of Charlie Cleveland, Ted Gill, and Max McGuire were fired. Steve Papousis, who led the development of the Callisto Protocol, has been appointed as the new CEO.
Subnautica 2 introduced as a 2-player cooperative game
<July 9, 2025>
Krafton officially announces that the release of Subnautica 2 has been delayed to 2026 . Based on our internal testing, we found that there were many areas that needed improvement before we could launch in Early Access, and we said that this was a choice we made to avoid ruining the game experience for users.
That same day, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreyer raised suspicions that the game delays may have been intended to evade bonuses . There is a suspicion that the launch was delayed in order to avoid paying bonuses by making it impossible to achieve the “specific goals by the end of 25 years” that had been set at the time of acquisition.
<July 10, 2025> The Subnautica community, centered around Reddit, criticized the unfair dismissal and early access delay to avoid bonus payments . There has been a movement to boycott Subnautica 2 .
<July 11, 2025>
Krafton released an official statement clarifying the current controversy. Regarding bonus distribution, it was an unfair distribution with about 90% going to three former executives , and since 24 years ago, they have been criticized for not fulfilling their responsibilities and giving up on development . And we promised to provide fair and equitable compensation to the remaining employees and ensure gamers have a satisfactory game quality.
And on the same day, the former executives of Subnautica ended up filing a lawsuit against Krafton .
Eventually we got caught up in a mud fight. The core of this situation is not just a change of management.

Krafton claims that "the problem was insincere management," but the community boycott raised the banner that "Krafton harmed the game's philosophy."

Ultimately , the truth will be revealed in court, but it will be the gamers who will suffer in the process .

Subnautica is considered a masterpiece that expanded the survival genre that stayed on land to deep-sea exploration . It is also considered a representative example of a model that graduated from Early Access with flying colors, and is highly regarded as an example of a “story-centered survival game” that pioneered the survival genre that was tied to crafting by connecting it with systems and narratives.

That's why so many fans are outraged by this news and demanding the truth. Despite being a generally hostile gamer community towards corporations, opinions within the community are divided. As a company, Krafton's unusual choice of words and sharp announcement have also raised the possibility that there may have been real problems with the existing management . Overall, the mood is one of waiting for the results to come out before the truth is revealed .
However, fans who had been waiting for a sequel for years could not help but feel like the game was being held hostage by a financial conflict. Now that Subnautica 2 has truly become mired in mudslinging, what unknown territory will it head into? I'm sorry to say this, but if the truth comes out, it could be just as interesting as the game.
Meanwhile, Krafton released the mobile version of Subnautica on July 9th.
🧑‍⚖️ [Court Summons of the Week] Monster Hunter Wilds Cancels Technical Lecture Amid Optimization Controversy… Capcom Warns of ‘Customer Abuse’
Monster Hunter Wilds has been receiving criticism from the community for its lack of performance optimization, and the situation is getting worse with the developer even withdrawing a technical talk .
CEDEC 2025, scheduled to be held from the 22nd to the 24th, featured a talk titled “Monster Hunter Wilds: All About Optimization.” ※CEDEC (Computer Entertainment Developers Conference, also known as SEDEC) is Japan's representative programmer event targeting developers.
In this lecture, I was going to explain performance optimization cases through a real-life example of Monster Hunter Wilds from three perspectives: CPU load, GPU load, and memory usage. However, this lecture was suddenly cancelled .
It seems that public opinion has been influenced by Monster Hunter Wilds, which has recently been facing a strong backlash due to poor optimization. Meanwhile, the sessions on “UI and concept art, design for core systems” for Monster Hunter Wilds that were scheduled during this period will proceed as normal.
Afterwards, Capcom posted “Guide to Responding to Customer Harassment (Customer Harassment, so-called Customer Abuse)” on its official website and X. He also asked people to refrain from excessive slander against specific individuals. He showed a rather strong stance, even mentioning legal action .
Capcom is taking a hard line, even mentioning legal action and criminal proceedings.
Monster Hunter Wilds recently suffered a major downturn in its Steam ratings after its optimization deteriorated further in the June 30 patch. The emergency patch on July 1st that followed fixed bugs that occurred after the update, but it failed to change public opinion.
However, the current rating has fallen further , with the latest rating being 12% positive (overwhelmingly negative) / overall rating being 53% positive (mixed) .
There should be a clear distinction between constructive criticism of game content and excessive attacks on individuals. But considering why the community is so angry right now, I'm not sure if Capcom's response of fighting back with all their might is right. It remains to be seen what balance Capcom's response and the community's reaction will find.
🤣 [Game Humor of the Week] I quit gaming and my life changed.

I never said it was a good direction

▷ Qualification to play any game ◁
My mind is getting dizzy. ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
▷ When I grow up, I can buy all those games, right? ◁
I didn't know I would be short on time and even stamina ㅠㅠ
▷ Game story explained with weapons.manwha ◁
“Words speak louder than words” from Call of Duty. What kind of weapons do you think the games you play have?

I recently played Stella Blade and you have the weapon.

It doesn't really matter, I have a nicer ass and tits!

▷ What happens when too many NPCs appear at once ◁
Could the world's hair loss problem actually be caused by loading too many people at once?
Half of humanity is struggling to solve hair loss…
I now understand this person's deeper intentions.
▷ Nintendo's Bubble Water Store ◁
“Psychedelic Mushroom (Psilocybin Mushroom) Shop” located in Ottawa, Canada In Canada, hallucinogenic mushrooms are said to be illegal under statutory law / decriminalized under positive law (illegal but not cracked down on by the police).
Even the interior is just amazing ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
😶‍🌫️ [Steam Summary of the Week] Tsundoku (積ん読) culture feeds Steam.
An interesting article has been posted claiming that the “Tsundoku (積ん読)” culture, where users subscribe to Netflix even if they don’t watch it, don’t cancel Coupang WoW even though they don’t get many benefits, and can’t seem to cancel their PS Plus and Nintendo Online subscriptions even though they haven’t turned on their consoles for over a month, is what’s sustaining Steam and even its developers .
'Stash' refers to a box of unassembled Legos or Gunpla (the so-called pile of shame), and a pile of yarn that has been saved with the thought that "I'll knit it someday". The word 'Tsundoku' refers to the mountain of books that people keep buying, putting off reading them with the excuse that they don't have time to read them . In Japan, tsundoku is not a negative concept, but is often interpreted as an action of 'hoarding because you love it' , like a bibliophile (a person who likes to read).

Something like this? LOL

For us too, games that we collect without playing them can be just that.
The reason game developers are willing to give 30% of their revenue to Valve is: Because Steam is full of super gamers throwing money at games they have no intention of playing .
Statistics show that 51.5% of games in gamers' libraries (based on median value) are unplayed .
Some statistics (surveys) even say that only 1/3 of the games purchased are actually played .
This gaming tsundoku phenomenon is positive for gamers, developers, and ultimately Steam .
A lot of indie game developers can make more money by selling their games regardless of whether they are played or not. For gamers, creating such a full library can relieve stress and provide satisfaction. Games become a kind of “hobby item” and their very ownership can provide a sense of satisfaction.
Steam of course gets the best of both worlds: commissions and loyal customers.
This is something that developers will probably have to think about as well .

For users, games are approached with the concept of ‘collecting and owning’ rather than ‘playing’ .

Rather than continuously encouraging access or designing repetitive content, visuals, stories, and brand values that stimulate ‘fandom’ with just one purchase can be a more important strategy.
In particular, games based on series or famous IPs are representative examples that can stimulate the desire to collect regardless of whether you play them or not.

Also, you all know that you can't stand not buying the missing DLC (the DLC that you bought one less) ㅋㅋㅋ

Ultimately, games are both consumer goods and cultural content .

There may be games that provide enjoyment in and of themselves through 'owning' them rather than just playing them, and this diversity is what supports today's game market . On the one hand, platform companies that want to compete with Steam need to think again about the “importance of beautifully decorating their game library.”
My “Played/Unplayed Game Ratio (61%)” as seen in Steam DB Since this includes free games for library expansion, if we recalculate based on the Game Collector value, which means the number of actual purchased games, You've played about 73% of the games in the library!
I have included a link to an article I wrote a while back about my personal opinion on this!
“Why do we buy games we don’t play?” https://page.onstove.com/indie/global/view/9845140
※ Two-line summary of the article If you are someone who has had an enjoyable experience through a game, you can feel the “joy of that time” just by purchasing the game. So don't feel guilty about buying games you won't play, and enjoy the richness of your library!
▷ Steam Trends of the Week ◁
- Continuing upward graph, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby! The number of concurrent users of the original mobile game, Pretty Derby, continues to rise (increase) . It achieved a decent performance of 25,000 users at the time of its release, but the number of concurrent users has continued to increase, and recently it has surpassed 50,000, continuing its popularity ! The evaluation is also 94% positive, and it is well-received for having an understandable BM despite being a collectible game.
Oh, of course, in Korea, Kakao Games is publishing the Windows version, so it is not available on Steam^^
- To the abyss with many people? Naraka
Battleground Wuxia version - Naraka, which underwent a large-scale update on July 9th, has once again soared with 220,000 concurrent users. A completely new mode called “Wuxia Treasure Hunt Mode”, the start of the Pioneer Season, and the introduction of various new items and game mechanics have all been introduced, bringing about a cataclysmic update !
However, the recent patch has received mixed reviews , starting with connection issues, abandoned bots, cheating issues, and optimization issues. Even the positive reviews are mostly negative and only give recommendations .
Even though the number of concurrent users has increased significantly, there are still posts saying that people are being matched with bots, so it definitely looks like there is a problem. Naraka has been completely free since 2023.
Martial arts...?????
- Private recommendation, PATAPON 1+2 REPLAY released on Steam!
The Patapon series, a “rhythm action game” where you give commands to the beat, has been released on Steam . This is a game that I played so much that I was mashing buttons when it was released on the PSP, and just like the PSP, it has been officially translated into Korean! By adding support features, it is said that even beginners in rhythm games can enjoy it.
Everyone, let's all go pong pong patapong! Fever~~ I'm here~ I'm here~
🔊 [Game News of the Week] Short but important industry news
🔊 Nintendo Switch 2 , changed from lottery sale to general sale just one month after release. Now you can buy it immediately from the online shop without applying for the lottery. 🔊 OriUpscale, a new LSFG-VK project, begins work on bringing lossless scaling frame generation to Linux 🔊 Monolith Soft, famous for the Xenoblade series, is hiring on a large scale to produce a new RPG 🔊 Wargaming Group, the creator of games such as World of Warships and World of Tanks , announces the end of service for its new game Steel Hunters after 3 months
🔊 Nvidia Becomes First Company in Wall Street History to Reach $4 Trillion Market Cap , Thanks to AI Craze, of Course… 🔊 Naver Plus Membership Introduces MS's 'PC Game Pass' Benefit as One of the Options 🔊 “Shangri-La Frontier”, which received favorable reviews for its splendid battle scenes, Netmarble officially announced the game and released a trailer, and also released 50 animations on YouTube (Korea is a regional lock…) 🔊 Pre-registration for Chaos Zero Nightmare, a deck-building game with an attractive(?) backstory of stove and skill cutscenes, begins In collaboration with Hololive EN , the original theme song by Calliope Mori and Nerissa Ravencroft (honorary Korean lol) will also be released on July 18th
🔊 YouTube changes monetization policy - Announces policy change to block monetization of copy-paste, mass-produced, reactive content, and AI-generated content 🔊 Call of Duty: WW2 temporarily removed from Game Pass and more due to hacking attacks occurring on certain versions 🔊 Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Legislative Notice of “Bill Mandatory Designation of Domestic Agents for Overseas Game Companies” 🔊 PC Gamer journalist who has been testing graphics cards for 20 years, names AMD Radeon RX 9070 as the best (value for money) graphics card of 2025 🔊 Collaboration between Collapse: Starrail and Fate. Thanks to the high-quality modeling that surpasses the original, there are even jokes that even Fate should leave the modeling to China…
Thank you for your hard work this week.
In some regions, it is said that the heat wave that has not been experienced in 100 years has arrived. It seems like heaven to play games under the cool air conditioning on weekends.

But how did our ancestors survive the heat 100 years ago without air conditioning?

As with colds, the main cause of air-conditioning sickness is said to be 'dry air' caused by air conditioning. They say that a significant portion of it can be prevented just by drinking enough water. So let's go to a cafe where we can cool off and have some drinks! (???)
Have a great week, and I'll see you again next Friday at 7pm! thank you!

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