PS Plus and Game Pass Revenue Stagnates in the U.S.

Data and analytics firm Circana has disclosed that spending on popular video game subscription services, PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass, has reached a plateau in the United States. This comes after a previous report from Circana in June, which revealed that players were opting to purchase new, full-priced games instead of investing in subscriptions.

Has the Novelty of PS Plus and Game Pass Worn Off?

Recent reports indicate that Sony has ceased sharing its PS Plus subscriber numbers in its financial reports. While the company has not directly addressed these reports, its latest financial presentation did not include any subscriber numbers.

According to Circana (as reported by Games Industry), the stagnation in subscription spending can be attributed to various factors, such as user fatigue, reduced disposable income due to the rising cost of living, slow adoption of cloud gaming, and the strong lineup of new premium game releases. 2023 has already witnessed the release of numerous highly successful games, and the upcoming fall season is packed with eagerly anticipated titles, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

In a separate report, Games Industry revealed that indie publishers like TinyBuild and Devolver have experienced setbacks due to weaker subscription deals with Sony and Microsoft. Patrick O’Donnell, an analyst at Goodbody, stated that the payments from Sony and Microsoft are no longer as substantial as they used to be, suggesting that the companies may be scaling back on their own subscription spending.