Following Microsoft’s revamp of its video game subscription service, the conversation has turned to just how convoluted both PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass have become. Analysts and industry professionals are of the view that growth in game subscriptions will remain stalled, and majority of players — who aren’t terminally online — need things to remain simple.
PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass vs the mass market
A number of journalists took to X to point out just how confusing things have become between two platforms with two iterations of consoles each, up to eight different tiers, and three different pricing plans across each of those tiers. A handy illustration of this was posted by IGN’s Brian Altano (note: Altano’s graphic shows old prices so don’t get excited):
Quote tweeting the above, veteran analyst Mat Piscatella — whose very job is to analyze sales for Circana — noted that the mass market simply wants to play the next big game. He opined that both Sony and Microsoft continue to make things difficult for themselves.
Seriously.Mass market just wants to play the new shootybang game, not need a PhD to figure out what subscription service to choose.Why this industry insists on making it hard for people to give them money I’ll never understand. https://t.co/H9zu5W8V4D— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) July 10, 2024
Piscatella added that gamers who stay abreast with the industry online aren’t the mass market, rather a “super enthusiast gamer segment.”
Separately, journalist Tom Warren pointed out how confusing Microsoft’s messaging regarding Game Pass has become. Funnily enough, an X user responded by countering Warren’s claim, and in doing so, ended up proving his point:
Microsoft’s whole “play it day one on Game Pass” message gets messy now:• Xbox Game Pass Core – $9.99 / no day one games ❌• PC Game Pass – $11.99 / day one games ✅• Xbox Game Pass for Console (existing subs) – $10.99 / day one games ✅• Xbox Game Pass Standard (new…— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) July 9, 2024
“not that confusing” but you got the PC options wrong lol— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) July 9, 2024
It’s hard to disagree with this. If Sony and Microsoft want to grow their subscriptions, a gazillion tiers with several pricing plans each certainly isn’t going to help.