The next generation of consoles are right around the corner. While every new generation of consoles is exciting, the prices we will be paying is much less enticing. Playstation recently announced that all of their first party games will be 70 dollars USD, a 10 dollar increase from what they have been over the last decade.
The price increase is even more substantial in other markets, making day one purchases of games a legitimate investment. Other publishers are following suit with price increases as well. Microsoft has yet to confirm whether or not they will be increasing prices for their first party games, but it seems like more of a when not if at this point.
Gaming isn’t cheap. With increased game prices, expensive console investments, accessories, expanded storage, and other monetary investments, buying every game you want to play individually is unrealistic for the majority of people.
Subscription services like Game Pass are almost necessary at this point if you are someone who likes to play a variety of games. Knowing that there are hundreds of games to play day one on the Xbox Series S|X is something that provides incredible value and saves people a ton of money. The same can be said about services like PSNOW and the recently announced Playstation Plus Collection. These services give Xbox and Playstation fans a large catalog of games to play instantly.
Like movies, television, music, and other forms of entertainment, gaming is quickly moving into the subscription model. Spending 15 or so dollars per month to get hundreds of games is a lot more feasible than spending hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars per year to play all of the recent releases.
As the Xbox Series S|X and PS5 quickly arrive, subscription services will soon become standard and not just a luxury or add on. There are plenty of questions about what games ultimately look like under a subscription model, but there is no question that subscription style gaming is the future, and the future is arriving sooner than we realize.
