It appears like there’s much more buzz about Xbox Game Pass than PlayStation Now with gamers, but the revenue suggests the latter is much more popular.
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According to a new report from SuperData, a digital video game market research company, video game subscription services are doing well, with PlayStation Now reigning king over Xbox Game Pass, EA Access, and more.
SuperData reports that players who dabble in subscription services spend 45 percent more on games than people who don’t bother with such services. This not only seems to squash the assumption held by some that these type of services aren’t doing well for companies, but also suggests they aren’t saving gamers that much money. That, or the amount of casual gamers and their lack of spending lowers the mean amount spent of those not participating in such services, while those that participate are more of a hardcore consumer of gaming.
Whatever the case, the new report sheds light on why Sony, EA, Microsoft, and others are going all-in on the space. And it appears to be paying off the most for Sony, which is racking in 3X more than its rival space competitor: Xbox Game Pass.
Now, it’s worth pointing out that the discrepancy between PlayStation Now and the other services is partially the result of the sheer amount of PS4s in the wild compared to Xbox Ones. Though, current estimates suggests PS4 is out-selling Xbox One two-to-one, which means it can’t entirely explain the gap between PlayStation Now’s revenue and Xbox Game Pass’ revenue.
SuperData also reports that subscribers spend twice as much on in-game content compared to non-subscribers, which may partially be a result of not having to pay $60 (or whatever the amount) up-front.
The top three, above-pictured subscriptions notably made up 6 percent of the overall premium PC and premium console revenue for the third quarter of 2018, a number that’s expected to grow growing forward.
“The game subscription market heated up immensely in 2018 as game makers sought sources of consistent, recurring revenue,” said Carter Rogers, principal analyst at SuperData. “To increase the appeal of their own subscription offerings, publishers are now offering brand-new titles to paying members.”
The longevity of these services was unclear for awhile, but going of these latest numbers, it looks like they’re going nowhere.
Thanks, VentureBeat.
