Subscription and streaming services are everywhere in entertainment, including gaming. With the rise of things such as Xbox Game Pass, Sony's PS+, and even more niche gaming subscription services, it's no wonder fans are feeling fatigued.
Initially thought to make it easy for users to find and access the content they wanted without being tied to long-term cable contracts, browsing through countless channels, and getting pestered by constant ads, now, users are getting burned out with so many services to choose from across multiple forms of entertainment.
According to this survey by ExpressVPN, over 40% of people are experiencing a phenomenon called subscription fatigue, and feel incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of services fighting for their hard-earned money.
In terms of gaming specifically, these services are the third-most-popular category among those surveyed, with 24% of people subscribed to one, only surpassed by music services (51%) and content streaming (75%).
Out of those, 62% access their subscription services via a console, which means the likes of Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation's PS+, Nintendo Switch Online Membership, and even more specific services like EA Play or Ubisoft+ are the most used.
A surprising 51% access their subscription via a smartphone, which speaks volumes about how popular mobile gaming has become, with companies like Apple via Apple Arcade or Android with Google Play Pass tapping into the mobile gaming subscription service market with massive success.
Still, as we've established, fatigue has impacted the growth of gaming subscription services. In March of 2024, a report by Metro with information from NPD analyst Mat Piscatella stated that both console and PC subscription spending increased only by 1% when compared to April of 2023. That month, in turn, only saw a 2% increase compared to April 2022, making it clear that users are not flocking to things like Game Pass or PS+ like they once used to.
Despite not racking up the numbers they wanted, perhaps no other gaming subscription service has failed as spectacularly as Google Stadia.
Launched in November 2019, Google Stadia promised a gaming experience that was both convenient and high-quality, as they offered streaming titles using the Chromecast device with no pesky installations required.
Sadly, the service never picked up steam as users weren't familiar enough with cloud gaming. Retention of users was also a problem for Google according to a report by Forbes.
Google had anticipated having roughly 10% of the cloud gaming market by 2022, however, the numbers didn't ever surpass 5%, paling in comparison to Xbox Cloud Gaming, which had a strong 60-70% of the market share.
As you can see, gamers are being hit by subscription fatigue just as much as people looking to enjoy the new content being put out by the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and more.
The issues with services such as Game Pass or PS+ extend beyond fatigue, however, as it's becoming more clear that ownership of content is a big issue for gaming enthusiasts, with developers and companies easily pulling titles from digital storefronts with little to no warning.
For companies, it's an interesting challenge they'll have to start dealing with sooner rather than later, otherwise, they run the risk of completely saturating the market until it collapses.
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