Gaming subscription services are big money makers in the industry, and each of the three main platforms (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch) all have one. These subscription services gate online Multiplayer, amongst other features, like free games and store discounts, behind these subscriptions to things like PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass, or Nintendo Switch Online.
That being said, these subscriptions also rake in lots of money, given their nature (and the general necessity for games these days). Subscription services in gaming will push console and PC revenue to a “record year”. That said, let’s break it down.
According to DFC Intelligence, the firm predicts that software on console and PC to reach $72 billion, up 5% from last year’s mark, which was already a record. Subscriptions, according to them, are a major contributor to this number. To quote the report from the DFC directly, they said the following:
A major driver of this growth is not new releases, but increasing usage of subscription services from Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and others. The console game business is expected to see a third of software/service revenue going to Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo for their game subscription services, Game Pass, Switch Online, and the newly revamped PlayStation Plus.
This is notable despite hardware shortages throughout 2020 and 2021 (remember the PS5 scalping problem?), and even the DFC notes that, acknowledging rising prices, saying, “Even as prices rise and the possibility of recession lurks, the core game industry should continue to grow.”
Given Xbox Game Pass’s numbers as of recent, it’s pretty easy to tell that Microsoft knows that Game Pass’s value is booming. Almost in an attempt to do something similar, PlayStation changed up PlayStation Plus to the three-tiered format it now occupies. Hell, even Nintendo made an Expansion Pack to Nintendo Switch Online, meaning that even with the subscriptions doing what they already do, companies are still expanding them, and it drags money in.
That said, given these numbers, it sounds like it’ll go nowhere but up when it comes to this industry, despite realistic worries.
