Game change: why Aussies are ditching discs for Xbox and PlayStation game subscriptions

Aussies are ditching game discs and paying big bucks for blockbusters in favour of all-you-can play gaming buffets.

The way we play is changing fast.

Forget playing $100 for just a blockbuster on disc, dedicating all your free time to one title, or even queuing outside a games store at midnight for the latest release.

Video games are quickly becoming an all-you-can-play buffet of entertainment, with even the biggest, multimillion-dollar productions released to game subscribers on the same day as they land in stores.

And analysts say Aussie players are racing to adopt the new approach, with more than three million subscriptions expected to be snapped up this year in what is forecast to become the “crown jewel of subscription entertainment”.

Microsoft cemented the new approach to playing for games in its E3 Expo virtual announcement last month, confirming that 27 of the 30 top tier titles announced at the show would arrive on its subscription platform, Xbox Games Pass, for players to access without making an extra purchase.

The Microsoft Xbox Series X uses Games Pass, a subscription service delivering access to lots of games at once.

Those titles will include Forza Horizon 5, Hades, Flight Simulator, Among Us, and the long-awaited Halo Infinite.

Xbox gaming experiences and platforms corporate vice-president Liz Hamren said the big-name game releases showed how confident Microsoft had become that game subscriptions could pay off for gamers and game developers alike after it took a risk on the model in 2017.

“This is a big moment,” she said.

“We have this confluence of things where we have more studios, more games and new consoles so you’re really starting to see the thesis that we had with Games Pass way back when we launched it really playing out which is that it’s good for gamers, it’s good for publishers, and it makes gaming more accessible which is the hope we had.”

And it’s not just Microsoft that is opening the doors to more games for a single fee.

Apple executive Ann Thai, who unveiled Apple Arcade in Cupertino, says the company is hoping to sponsor the creation of unexpected video games with the subscription service.

Rival Sony has also committed to adding three major titles to its PlayStation Plus service monthly, while Apple recently expanded its Arcade service to feature more than 180 premium titles, from an Australian reboot of The Oregon Trail to NBA 2K21.

Telyste managing director Foad Fadaghi said the big-name offers were changing the way millions of Australians approached gaming.

Subscriptions to games services more than doubled to reach two million in Australia by June 2020, he said, and that number was expected to rise beyond three million this year as more people adopted a Netflix-style approach to the way they played.

“The potential for subscription gaming is huge,” Mr Fadaghi said. “It’s considered the crown jewel in subscription entertainment. Three billion people are a potential market for subscription gaming.”

But the promise of all-you-can-play services wasn’t just about lowering the price of video games for users, Mr Fadaghi said, but about encouraging them to try new styles of games and titles they weren’t ready to buy outright.

“It’s always been a challenge to introduce games to people in the first place and that’s the nut that subscription services really crack,” he said. “Discovery and engagement statistics go through the roof.”

It’s the opportunity to try games on a whim that has kept former games magazine managing editor Craig Thomler coming back to Sony and Apple’s games offers.

Microsoft has a big line-up of games launching on it Games Pass subscription platform in 2021.

The Canberra entrepreneur said he used his Apple Arcade subscription to try a wide variety of high-quality apps he might not otherwise have downloaded, while PlayStation Plus let him play games from his favourite genres without a big investment.

“It’s a really good way to try games,” he said. “It gives me a way to try games that I was interested in but not interested enough to buy in a store.”

And Ms Hamren said that kind of experiences was one of the biggest advantages of offering games in a subscription platform — helping users find their next favourite pastime.

“We did a survey recently and 90 per cent of our members said they had played a game that they would otherwise not have played. You always hear these stories anecdotally, ‘I never thought I was going to like this genre but it was in Games Pass so I tried it and I was surprised at how much I liked it’,” she said.

“It gives people a greater ability to experiment and try new things.”

TOP GAMES AVAILABLE ON SUBSCRIPTION

Xbox Games Pass Ultimate ($15.95/m): Microsoft’s top game subscription delivers access to more than 100 games across consoles and PCs, including day-one releases, with titles including UFC 4, Tropico 6, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, Gang Beasts, Destiny 2, Banjo Kazooie, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Fallout 3, and FIFA 21.

Apple Arcade ($7.99/m): There are more than 180 premium games to download from Apple’s new platform including NBA 2K21, Cut the Rope Remastered, Fantasian, The Oregon Trail, Star Trek Legends, Crossy Road Castle, LEGO Brawls, What the Golf?, SpellTower+ and Mini Motorways.

PlayStation Plus ($11.95/m): July’s three downloadable titles are Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, WWE 2K Battlegrounds and A Plague Tale: Innocence.

Google Play Pass ($7.99/m): All-you-can-play access to games including OK Golf, Cubistry, Pocket City, Monument Valley, Botanical, Trivia 360, Oculux, Sonic the Hedgehog Classic, Mini Metro, Spaceflight Simulator.

Originally published as Game change: why Aussies are ditching discs for Xbox and PlayStation game subscriptions