A big part of console gaming is getting online and playing competitively with others. But, to do this, players need to pay extra for a subscription. Encouraging players to get online can be hugely beneficial for console developers, as it can increase the amount of playing time they get from a game. But are the major consoles doing enough to attract players to their services? They need to do everything they can to get players onto the subscription model so that they can generate a regular revenue stream.
What Are the Major Console Developers Doing at The Moment?
Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are the three leading console developers at the moment, and they are each using fairly similar strategies to get players to sign up for the online subscription service.
PlayStation + has given players monthly free games for a long time, and the releases have often been met with widespread approval. Indeed, some of the greatest games ever released on the console have been offered up for free at certain points in time. An example of this was Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which was one of the monthly free offerings around two years after its initial release. PlayStation also provides access to a lot of indie games that players may not have discovered otherwise.
Xbox Live Gold members get similar benefits, and there are various member discounts on games as well. This can represent significant savings in some circumstances. Nintendo also offers Switch users many free games behind the paywall, including some of the company’s classics like Tetris 99 and Super Mario Bros. 35.
All of the major consoles are giving away plenty of free offerings, but there are questions over whether this is enough. Some sectors of the gaming industry could be considered much more generous when it comes to offers.
Why are Offers and Freebies so Important?
Although console players are receiving the ability to game online via their subscriptions, this may not seem like enough value for money for a lot of people. For this reason, the console developers need to offer incentives such as free and discounted games regularly. This model has been extremely successful in other sectors of gaming.
The online casino industry has led the way for some time now when it comes to providing free content to players as a way to attract them to a service. With there being such a vast number of online casinos for players to choose from, they are likely to select the places with the best offers. For that reason, most of the top sites give players a deposit match bonus, and a lot of them also offer free spins. If these promotions aren’t available somewhere, players will just look elsewhere.
Freebies can also be used as a way to get players hooked on a game or service before they choose to spend their own money. This has been successful in mobile gaming, in particular, where countless games allow players to join in for free. Once they are sucked in and obsessed with the game, players are more likely to spend money on upgrades and ways to make the games even more enjoyable.
Are The Subscription Models Sustainable?
There are question marks over whether the current subscription models will be sustainable in the future. This is because a new type of library game service appears to be the upcoming trend. Netflix’s subscription model has been revolutionary, and now the idea of paying a monthly fee to have access to a library of games is looking like the future for consoles.
The major developers are already working on their relative cloud-based gaming subscription services, and when these come to pass they may have to put their past marketing strategies to one side. This is because the current monthly free games will be far less appealing to people who could pay a monthly subscription to gain access to a much greater wealth of options.
At the moment, it seems that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are doing just enough to keep customers interested in their online subscription models. But as cloud-based gaming begins to take over, they may need to change their strategies to cater to this new type of service.
