Blog: games subscriptions

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy and social.

Why the ‘Game Pass cannibalising games sales’ story does not change anything

Karol Severin

16 Feb 2023

games subscriptions

Xbox Game Pass

regulation

This week it has been reported that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) report includes Microsoft sharing that its “ internal analysis shows a decline in base game sales following 12 months of their addition on Game Pass.

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Are the short-term benefits of rereleases luring big games companies into a long-term trap?

Perry Gresham

21 Oct 2022

remaster

rerelease

remake

Ever since the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One almost a decade ago, the games industry has found itself in an era of remasters. The shift towards re-releases is clear, with cross-gen ports of Diablo III and Grand Theft Auto V, remastered collections like Halo MCC and Mass Effect, and ground-up remake...

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The fall of Stadia

Perry Gresham

7 Oct 2022

stadia

games streaming

games subscriptions

Google’s game streaming service Stadia is shutting down in January 2023, just over three years into its life. What went wrong for such a promising technology with the backing of one of the largest corporations in the world? What does this mean for the future of cloud gaming? Popularity contest The...

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Quick take: Are Netflix’s games efforts still in line with the consumer needs of today?

Karol Severin

29 Sep 2022

Netflix

mobile gaming

Games industry

It has been a year since Netflix announced its first games studio acquisition. Two days ago, it announced the launch of its own in-house gaming studio based in Finland, bringing a fourth gaming studio into its arsenal.

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Microsoft’s new cloud focus solidifies Xbox Game Pass as the Netflix of games

Perry Gresham

29 Mar 2022

cloud gaming

Xbox Game Pass

Netflix

Last week Microsoft announced a new division of Xbox Game Studios, the “Cloud Gaming Organisation”, designed to help developers create new cloud-native games to be distributed via their Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

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Ubisoft+ is coming to Xbox as shifts in distribution continue

Karol Severin

6 Jan 2022

Ubisoft

Xbox

games distribution

Ubisoft has announced that its subscription service Ubisoft+, currently available on PC, will come to Xbox in the future. It will also make its upcoming title Rainbox Six Exploration available on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass from day one.

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PlayStation Plus overhaul: a defensive catch-up move, or foundation for growth offensive?

Karol Severin

9 Dec 2021

PlayStation

Xbox Game Pass

games subscriptions

According to Bloomberg citing people familiar with the matter, Sony plans to weave PlayStation Now (its on-demand games streaming offering) into PlayStation Plus (subscription necessary to access multiplayer features, and a small, windowed selection of games).

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Why games companies need to take Apple’s Arcade expansion seriously

Karol Severin

9 Apr 2021

Apple

Apple Arcade

Games industry

Apple announced a significant expansion of Apple Arcade last week, including more than 180 new games across three new games categories: ‘Timeless Classics’, ‘App Store Greats’ and ‘New Arcade Exclusives’.

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Why Take-Two Interactive does not need to adopt games subscriptions yet

Karol Severin

10 Nov 2020

take two interactive

games subscriptions

Take-Two Interactive (T2) reported quarterly results, with revenue dipping slightly, but profitability improving. On the call, T2 reiterated scepticism over the future of the games subscription models.

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Quick take: Xbox’s future is cross-platform, PlayStation’s is cross-entertainment

Karol Severin

30 Jul 2020

Games

playstation now

Xbox Game Pass

If Fortnite showed us anything, it’s that the future of entertainment is about monetising fandom – not just consumption and access to content. Games are perfectly positioned to help monetise fandom across all entertainment fields.

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Why PlayStation Now’s Price Cut Alone Is Not Enough To Compete

Karol Severin

2 Oct 2019

Games

games streaming

Despite a price cut, PlayStation remains the most expensive gaming experience: PlayStation has announced a 50% price cut to its games streaming service, PlayStation Now. Though slicing a streaming service price point in half is a bold move which will attract a lot of media attention, the reality is ...

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Arcade Plays To Apple’s Strengths and Everyone Else’s Weaknesses

Karol Severin

11 Sep 2019

4.99

Apple Arcade

downloadable games

As of yesterday, Apple has revealed more detail about its upcoming Arcade. For $4.99 per month, users will have the ability to download and play 100+ exclusive games across Apple devices. While Apple is positioned as a ‘download and play’ proposition, the reality is it will compete against games...

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Apple Joins The Games Subscription Race With Arcade

Karol Severin

26 Mar 2019

Apple Arcade

arcade

Freemium

Apple has announced that it will launch a games subscription service called Arcade. For a monthly payment (price point to be determined), the service will feature over 100 original games which users will be able to play across iPhones, iPads and Apple TV and pick up wherever they left off.

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