Subscription Overload in the Gaming Industry.
More and more publishers release their own platforms with subscription services that go around the $14.99 mark, forcing consumers accumulate membership bills left and right.
Ubisoft recently announced that their 'revamped' platform, Ubisoft+, is now available on Xbox Series X|S. The news was received with a few frowned brows and twisted mouths because of its ridiculous price tag of $17.99 per month.
To justify its price tag, Ubisoft+ grants you instant access not only to its current library, but to upcoming releases on day 1. They also provide you with access to the 'Premium' version of the game, meaning that you can get access to cosmetic bonuses and future DLC. Sounds pretty sweet for titles like Far Cry 6, Ghost Recon, and Assassins Creed Valhalla. Another benefit is monthly cosmetics and boosters for games like its upcoming shooter, XDefiant.
To some, the library does not justify the price. Ubisoft does not release yearly games as they previously did with Assassins Creed. The company realized that it's very costly to commit to yearly releases for huge franchises, and their games fell into a cookie-cutter mold, making them bland and uninspiring. In fact, there is nothing big announced at the moment, so paying for Ubisoft+ might not be wise at the moment.
Just like Ubisoft, EA has its own service called EA Play, which costs $5.99 per month. The benefits included in this tier are that you get 10 hours before they release, after that, you must buy the game; another one is instant access to a curated list of games. Its premium tier, EA Play Pro, costs $14.99 per month and the only difference is an early access option, should you buy the game at a 10% discount.
Subscriptions should subsidize
What these gaming subscription services should be doing is something similar to Amazon Prime Gaming. They attach the subscription to another existing service to subsidize its price, at no extra cost.
EA does something similar with Xbox Game Pass Premium, however, they only attach the regular EA Play tier, not the premium EA Play Pro. Despite this, consumers can pay for Xbox Game Pass Premium, and get access to EA titles instantly.
PS Plus on the other hand has Ubisoft Classics on its PS Plus Extended and Premium tiers. You can play classic Ubisoft games like Assassins Creed, Far Cry, The Crew, and more. This certainly adds a lot of value to the PS Plus subscription. The catch is that you don't get the Premium edition like in the paid service, and you are at the mercy of games being removed from the list; just like it recently happened with Assassins Creed Valhalla.
Too many options, very few games.
Perhaps EA is the one who could really benefit from a premium tier benefit on platforms like Xbox Game Pass Premium or PS Plus Premium. Imagine their yearly titles like FIFA, Madden, NHL or UFC instantly available at no extra cost, or at least at a heavily discounted price. Let's face it, a $6.99 is laughable.
Another option they should be doing is releasing boosters and bonuses for their infamous gambling modes like Ultimate Team. Giving monthly coins or gold packs will change the perception consumers have of this mode. A game that does this is the free-to-play eFootball 2023. You might be attracted to give it a try, and after testing the waters you might stay or leave, at no extra cost.
Ubisoft does not have yearly sport titles, and as mentioned above, big franchises like Assassins Creed have suffered by their decision to make them yearly in the past. Ubisoft is justifying its subscription service by offering premium editions and boosters. XDefiant and other shooters like Ghost Recon is the main reason they are doing this.
Evolving into the next big thing
Cloud gaming is the future, and it is inevitable that games will become a platform-less service. Microsoft has huge plans for the Xbox ecosystem, freeing video games from a physical console; gamers can play anywhere.
Subscription services Ubisoft+ and EA Play will have to integrate its library to platforms like Xbox Game Pass, and PS Plus. Offering a huge percentage of their library in Game Pass or PS Plus will be its natural evolution.
Perhaps its prices will increase, but the benefits will also do. We will have monthly boosters, premium editions, and day 1 yearly titles as a standard in the industry. This will reduce the ever-increasing subscription options into one unified platform, or at least limited to 'console' manufacturers (Xbox and PlayStation).
One good indicative of this trend is the recent partnership between Xbox and Nintendo. They are committed to releasing titles like Call of Duty on their platform despite its hardware limitations.
In the end, digital games will win, and the next big step is cloud gaming. Publishers are going to have to adapt to this huge change. It's not a matter of how, but when.
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