The main events of the weekend (July 20-21)

Microsoft responded to the FTC's criticism regarding the increase in Game Pass pricing, over 200 Bethesda employees formed a union, and the head of Digital Extremes stated that gaming companies need to have more faith in live-service games. Here's what happened in the gaming industry over the weekend.

EA Sports College Football 25

• Microsoft disagrees with the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that the increase in Game Pass pricing and the addition of a tier without release-day games degrades the quality of the subscription. Microsoft believes that the price increase for Game Pass is justified by the inclusion of more games, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. As for the new Game Pass Standard tier at $14.99 per month, Microsoft argues that it's not a degraded version of the discontinued Game Pass for Console tier at $10.99 per month. Although the Game Pass Standard lacks just-released games compared to Game Pass for Console, subscribers receive multiplayer access, which previously cost an additional $9.99 per month.
• Bethesda Game Studios employees have organized a union comprising 241 employees from various specialties, including developers, programmers, artists, designers, and others. Microsoft has already officially recognized the union. It's reported that the union will operate under the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
• Michael Flatt, head of Xbox marketing for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), admitted that Microsoft allocates a relatively small budget to his team. According to him, Sony invests significantly more in brand development for PlayStation in the region. Flatt added that he has to be inventive and persistent to convince Microsoft to allocate funds specifically to his department. Previously, sources from The Verge reported that Microsoft plans to stop selling consoles in some EMEA countries. Instead, it allegedly intends to focus on developing cloud gaming and Game Pass subscriptions, as well as selling game controllers.
• Steve Sinclair, CEO of Digital Extremes, stated in an interview with VGC that large gaming companies sometimes exit their live-service titles too soon. According to Sinclair, they place too much importance on launch metrics. If initial performance falls below expectations, the game is shut down, despite its potential and the possibility that the situation could improve over time.
• On July 19, Electronic Arts (EA) released the college football simulation game EA Sports College Football 25 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. According to the company's estimates, the game attracted millions of players even before its release. Specifically, 2.2 million people purchased the deluxe edition of EA Sports College Football 25 for $99.99, gaining the opportunity to play three days earlier than others. Additionally, 600,000 people launched a trial version of the game through the EA Play subscription.