Games subscription user deep dive More is more

20,000 foot view: Games subscriptions are playing an increasingly important role in the distribution section of the games industry’s value chain. A growing number of developers, therefore, must think through whether to partner with subscription services and, if so, which ones. For games companies that decide to go down this route, there are important questions they must answer: should they partner with all possible games subscription services or try to pursue exclusive partnerships? Are there differences in the respective userbases of key games subscription services and, if so, can they be used to optimise games release and monetisation strategies? This report will examine the main differences and commonalities between demographics and behaviours of key games subscription services’ weekly users to help answer these questions.

Key data and insights included in this report: 

• Weekly usage of games subscription services including Xbox Game Pass, Apple Arcade, and PlayStation Plus, by platform (mobile, computer, and console gamers)
• Analysis of games subscription users average age and distribution
• Games genre preferences of Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus users
• How many hours do games service users spend on other entertainment formats including listening to music and using social media?
• What percentage of games service users spend money on full games and in-game purchases?
• Should games developers pursue exclusive deals?
• Are there differences between the user bases of key games subscription services?

All survey data is based on MIDiA Research Q4 2023 Consumer survey fielded in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, South Korea, and Brazil. Data includes breakdowns by age, gender, types of gamers, games service users, and specific games users.

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Antstream Arcade, Apple Arcade, Pro, GeForce Now, Nintendo Switch Online, PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass