Video game subscriptions have been around in some shape or form for more than a decade, with Microsoft’s Game Pass and Sony’s PlayStation Plus as the market leaders. Although both services have tens of millions of users worldwide, they are much more popular in emerging gaming markets.
According to data presented by CasinosEnLigne.com, both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass have more users in India and Brazil than in the United States and China, the world’s two largest gaming markets.
PS Plus is Used by 14% of Gamers in India and 13% in Brazil, up from 10% in China and US
Sony’s subscription game service, PlayStation Plus, has been available to players for the past thirteen years. But despite its new features and subscription tiers, it lost 1.6 million subscribers last year.
Moreover, the Statista Consumer Insights survey conducted among gamers in 21 countries, including top gaming markets China, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany, showed video game subscriptions like PS Plus are still a niche phenomenon.
Statistics show only 10% of Chinese and US gamers have a subscription to PlayStation Plus, similar to the share of Xbox Game Pass users in the two countries. On the other hand, players in so-called emerging markets are more likely to use a PS Plus subscription. According to the survey, 14% of respondents in India said they had been using the PS Plus service, one percent more than in Brazil. South Africa ranked as the third-largest market for Sony’s video game subscription service, with an 11% share among surveyed gamers.
It will be interesting to see these shares after the latest announcement of PlayStation Plus prices going up. As of September 6, the prices of each PS Plus tier jumped by roughly 30%, which will impact the number of users in the emerging gaming markets, where users already spend less money on gaming content.
Mexico and Brazil are the Top Two Markets for Xbox Game Pass, with a 13% Share of Users
Although India and Brazil are among the leading PS Plus and Game Pass markets, Microsoft’s game subscription service is the most popular in Mexico. According to a Statista survey, Mexico is the number one market for Xbox Game Pass, with 13% of surveyed gamers who said they have been using the service. Brazil and India follow with the same 13% share among gamers. The United States and China close the top five list with 10% and 9% shares among gamers, respectively.
While video game subscriptions have a small share of users in the gaming community, both Sony and Microsoft claim they mainly serve as a promotion tool and an additional way to sell their gaming consoles. The following figures might prove that. According to market research company Circana, out of the $57bn spent on games, hardware, and accessories in the United States last year, only $400 million were connected to video game subscriptions.
