That actually makes a lot of sense and if anything this shows why game pass will be a force once MS starts rolling out solid exclusive titles.
Most causal gamers don’t have $65-$75 to spend to constantly buy new games in one year but they do have $5-$20 to spend on getting upgrades or dlc for games they already own or are focused on like call of duty, fortnite, etc.
Services like game pass will give more gamers access to more games which in turn can create more opportunities for devs to get that add-on/dlc money because it’s clear from this data that big money is in the add-on and dlc content not just the initial game purchase.
This is my viewpoint as well.
I was priced out of the market for new games quite some time ago. I cannot justify spending $100 CAD on a game that I end up disliking. Subscriptions are a much better model for me. I have Gamepass till 2023 courtesy of the $1 upgrade, and I am playing more games that I ever have. Just finished "Call of the Sea". Would never had played this game had it not been on Gamepass.
I mean come on. This should not be a surprise to anyone. People respond to VALUE. This has driven the games as a service explosion in recent years.
If you care about the survival of single player games, then it is in all of our best interests to cheer and support business models or technologies that drive the cost to develop and experience these games DOWN.
We can complain all we want about shitty business models and "suits" making decisions that effect the games we love but until a framework/business model for sustainable profitability exists we will see less and less money allocated towards single player narrative based experiences. I believe this business model is Gamepass and services like it.
We want to grow the pie of people experiencing these games. A massive amount of people WILL direct their attention to single player experiences if they are not as expensive as they are. The volume play seems to be the salvation of single player games.
Companies that make a commitment to single player games IN ADDITION TO offering services like this is what we should be hoping for. If heavy hitters like Sony get on board and promise to maintain their commitment to first party (it would be suicidal if they did otherwise), then we will be in a good place.
If we have learned anything, it is that there is more disposable income being poured into gaming than previously thought. Capturing some of that revenue and directing it towards projects that mean a lot to us will require more compelling value propositions that allow for low barriers of entry for access to high quality experiences (AKA FIRST PARTY).
The argument that "there is not enough money in subscription services for the consistent development of high quality first party games" is effectively dead. The amounts of money in this space is truly massive, and I am sure that consumer habits can be pushed in the direction of high quality first party games. We just need the correct Trojan horse (AKA Business model).
Last we have heard, Gamepass has something like 15 million subscribers. Sony could easily pull 20-30m. The math checks out for an essentially never ending stream of funding for games we want developed.
And finally, the ability to purchase games outright will still be
one option, but not the
only option.
Anyways, hopefully this is a wake up call, and positive developments will follow.
www.gamesindustry.biz
