Enjoy this golden age, because game subscription services are going to fragment

With Sony joining Microsoft in the subscription market, the concept of a one-subscription-fits-all golden age is over, writes Shaun Prescott.

When Microsoft launched its Xbox Game Pass service into beta in 2017, it seemed too good to be true. For ten bucks a month you could access a library of more than 100 games ranging from blockbusters through to small indies. It was the long-dreamed-of “Netflix for games”, basically, and in 2022 it is still absolutely dominant, largely because it has no competition. That changed in April, with Sony’s inevitable announcement of a PlayStation equivalent. Inheriting the PS Plus label, Sony’s offering has three tiers, but the middle tier – which competes directly with Xbox Game Pass – is already promising more games than Xbox’s, for a couple of dollars more a month. At the time of writing, the PS Plus library hasn’t been announced, and besides, there are a…

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APC (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2022

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