Summary
Day oneXbox Game PassgameThe Lamplighters Leaguehas been labeled a “big disappointment” by publisher Paradox Interactive.The Lamplighters Leagueis a turn-based strategy game inspired by 1930s pulp magazines andXCOMthat released on October 3. Developed by Harebrained Schemes,The Lamplighters Leaguelaunched as a day oneXbox Game Passgame across PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Unfortunately, things have not been going well forThe Lamplighters League.Lamplighters Leaguereviews have been mixed, and beyond that, it’s releasing in the midst of the fall gaming rush. With so many high profile new games to play on a weekly basis, an unproven IP with mixed reviews likeThe Lamplighters Leaguehas the cards stacked against it. Throw in the fact thatXbox Game Pass itself has been inundated with high quality new releases lately, and it’s no surprise thatThe Lamplighters Leaguehas failed to meet its publisher’s expectations.
Paradox Interactive has announced that it will be writing down the capitalized development costs forThe Lamplighters League. Paradox praised the game as being “fun” and having “many strengths.” but that “the commercial reception has been too weak.“Paradox CEO Fredrik Westerlabeled this development a “big disappointment.” Wester did say that Paradox is seeing “cautiously positive player numbers” in subscription services, likely alluding to the game’s performance on Xbox Game Pass.
Unfortunately forThe Lamplighters Leagueand other smaller Game Pass games, the service isn’t slowing down. New games are added to Xbox Game Pass regularly, with more titles set to come to the service before October is over, including more day one releases. There are already some gamesconfirmed for Xbox Game Pass in November 2023as well, with plenty more games coming in 2024, too.
Fans of the genre who haven’t tried it yet should consider checking outThe Lamplighters Leagueand seeing if it’s something that appeals to them. A big benefit of Xbox Game Pass is the freedom to try games that maybe didn’t fare so well with critics, but could still be something one might enjoy, without making a big financial commitment. It’s likely thatThe Lamplighters Leaguewill remain available through Xbox Game Passfor at least a year, and whenever it is set to get removed, fans can rest assured that they will have advanced notice.
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