[UPDATE: Devolver Digital has denied claims that Sony paid to keep Cult of the Lamb off Game Pass. Original story follows.]
As part of Microsoft’s ongoing Activision-Blizzard Deal, there has been some very public back-and-forth between Sony and Microsoft. Sony has claimed thatCall of Dutyis a juggernaut that shouldn’t be a first-party title, while Microsoft has said, a couple of times, that it wouldn’t limitCall of Dutyto one platform. In all of this, however,Microsoft has also claimed that Sony is paying for “blocking rights"that prevent third-party developers from putting games on the Game Pass service.
In a way, this is nothing new. Supposedly leaked documents from last year showed a deal between Sony and Capcom that prevented the latter from havingResident Evil Villageput on Xbox Game Pass, and while one could say something about competition between Sony and Microsoft, Sony’s answer to Game Pass shouldn’t be paying to keep games off of it. Now, the latest game to be drawn into this drama is Devolver Digital’s indie hit,Cult of the Lamb.
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In it, players take on the role of a possessed lamb who must build a cult in the name of the ominous being that saved them. It’s an interesting premise, andCult of the Lambhas been compared toAnimal CrossingandHades, which speaks well for the game’s popularity. However, it’s not on Xbox Game Pass and fans took notice. Many Xbox gamers are getting so used to day one games on Game Pass that anything that isn’t there is an oddity, especially since someone who owns a PlayStation and Xbox console may go with the latter since it’s part of an already-paid subscription service. Rumor has it, Sony paid to keepCult of the Lamboff of Game Pass.
This comes way of Kinda Funny’s Gary Whitta, who claims to have heard from a source that Sony did exactly that withCult of the Lamb. That’s all he really has to say about it, but given the competitive atmosphere and the seemingly-known usage of “blocking rights” by Sony, it’s an easy-to-believe rumor. Of course, it should be taken with a grain of salt, but anyone who wants to hear Whitta’s take on the situation can do soHERE(NOTE: the clip contains profanity).
It’s unlikely that more is ever revealed, and it’s unlikely that, assuming this does happen, it stops anytime soon. “Blocking Rights” is a contentious practice and something that could be debated at length. However, perhaps with Sony building up its newPS Plus tiers as a more inline competitor with Xbox Game Pass, all of this could change.
Cult of the Lambis now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
