There are so many games releasing on Xbox Game Pass these days, it feels almost impossible to keep up with them all. That's why it is so important to hone in on the ones that look genuinely interesting, bring something novel to the playing field, and inspire you in a way no other game can. That's a tough challenge for even the best games to accomplish, but the oversaturation of the market and the general increased length of games make it absolutely necessary.
Of course, the subscription-based model of Game Pass makes it slightly easier to spot a diamond in the rough. You can pick up and stop a game at any point and not feel buyer's remorse. It is easier now than ever before to find the very best games on Game Pass, yet, even then, it can still be difficult. That is especially true when a massively hyped release drops to little fanfare, proving to be more generic than we'd hope for. Unfortunately, that happens to be the case with one of the most anticipated Game Pass games of the year.
Wuchang Fallen Feathers Isn't Reviewing Well
It Has Been Criticized For Being Too Generic
Wuchang: Fallen Feather's reviews are out, and they're mixed to say the least. Some are scathing, calling the game generic and underwhelming, while others are a lot more forgiving and praise its genuinely innovative features. Currently, it has a score of 75 on Metacritic, which is far from atrocious. However, while a 75 is commendable and means it's likely worth checking out for hardcore fans of the souls-like genre, it simply isn't good enough anymore.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers was supposed to beat Black Myth: Wukong, but it is unlikely to have even half the impact that game had, especially if word of mouth continues to be mixed or even lukewarm. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers feels almost too late as it enters a market so stuffed with souls-likes both in the triple-A and indie space, that have done what it is attempting to accomplish and likely better. Souls-likes aren't novel anymore, so to release one in 2025, you have to be really special.
Even Wukong was somewhat criticized for being underwhelming in parts. While it went on to sell well, whatever came after it was fighting an uphill battle. You constantly have to be the best of the best, especially if you're launching on Game Pass and hoping to be recognized among the hundreds of other games on there. Wukong: Fallen Feathers isn't even the only one currently facing this unfortunate predicament, as another 2025 release fell under the radar for the exact same reason.
Blades Of Fire Underperforming Doesn't Bode Well
Its Publisher Confirmed It Didn't Meet Expected Targets
You'd be forgiven for forgetting the rather boringly-named Blades of Fire. It was developed by the folks behind Metroid Dread and released to little fanfare back in May 2025. It garnered mostly positive reviews, sitting comfortably at a 71 on Metacritic and a 3.86 rating on the PlayStation Store - unfortunately, it was an Epic Games exclusive, so we can't check Steam reviews. However, according to the parent company of its publisher, Blades of Fire was a flop.
The company, Digital Bros., issued a press release that discussed the company's finances and, more directly, Blades of Fire. It explained that the game "underperformed the group’s expectations" due to the gaming industry's "challenging competitive dynamics, driven by an oversupply of new releases and increasingly selective consumers." Essentially, it believes that players are overwhelmed with games and are, as a result, being more selective. It explained:
The video game market remains affected by challenging competitive dynamics, driven by an oversupply of new releases and increasingly selective consumers. These conditions make it particularly difficult to successfully launch new titles and to develop reliable forecasting models capable of accurately projecting sales and volumes at launch [...] This confirms the challenges faced by most industry peers and competitors in attracting consumers to new titles, particularly when these are not backed by an established brand driving a loyal player community.
This isn't the first time we've seen this happen recently, as 2024's Star Wars Outlaws performed abysmally despite the IP backing it. That, too, got favorable reviews for the most part, but a general lack of polish and some underbaked ideas led to it mostly being forgotten. There simply isn't the space for average or even above-average games like there used to be during the PS2 or even Xbox 360 eras. As the quality of games increases, so do players' expectations, and that poses a problem.
It Isn't Enough To Be A Good Game Anymore
You Have To Be Absolutely Remarkable
To be the next Game Pass blockbuster hit, you need to wow audiences. It doesn't matter if you have a small or big budget, if your game doesn't release with a unique gameplay loop or reinvent the genre to some degree, people are likely to overlook it. It is a sad truth, but one that has come about due to both the increased prevalence of subscription-based services that dilute the pool of games, as well as the democratization of game development that allows thousands of titles to be released on Steam yearly.
Frankly, it looks like you need to be as good as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - especially in the AA space - if you want a chance of success. Of course, that isn't always true, but a game will rarely go viral unless it breaks new ground, and a lack of virality will undoubtedly result in far fewer sales. Clair Obscur would have almost certainly flown under the radar had it not been for how impeccably it revolutionized the JRPG genre. Now, it stands as one of 2025's biggest games.
Of course, I'm not saying that games like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers or Blades of Fire should be made or released, nor am I advocating for average games to fail. In fact, I am a huge proponent of there being smaller AA titles. Rather, it seems more and more inevitable that rising expectations will shut out the likes of Wuchang. A push for greatness is always a good thing, but eventually, developers will run out of ideas, and those with smaller budgets won't be able to pull off ambitious experiences.
Much like how it is becoming increasingly hard to make rom-coms or push arthouse films in cinemas, or how subpar action films go straight to streaming rather than make hundreds of millions at the box office like they used to, average games are losing their place in the mainstream markets.
Gaming has become too popular. It is beginning to parallel the trajectory of the film industry in many respects. Much like how it is becoming increasingly hard to make rom-coms or push arthouse films in cinemas, or how subpar action films go straight to streaming rather than make hundreds of millions at the box office like they used to, average games are losing their place in the mainstream markets. How much of a role services like Xbox Game Pass have to play in that remains to be seen, but it is, nevertheless, a huge shame.
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