After reaching a peak between 2020 and 2021, subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus have kept their numbers stable, with very few exceptions, according to analyst Mat Piscatella.
“US spending on video game subscriptions had been basically flat for years following 2020-21 growth,” Piscatella explained. “A single 12% boost occurred in the fourth quarter of 2024 thanks to the addition of Call of Duty to the Game Pass catalog.”
He added, “Subscriptions are certainly not the future of gaming, although they can continue to be part of it.” This comment comes after news that Sony has removed several titles from PS Plus Extra and Premium.
Sony’s move seems to go against their promise of a stable and continuously evolving catalog, as it is shrinking instead of growing, which raises some concerns.
A Loss or an Opportunity?
A year ago, Microsoft confirmed that Xbox Game Pass was profitable for the company, but the numbers show that the subscription sector seems to have stopped growing after a few years of success. It appears to have reached its growth potential and has remained stable since then.
Many thought that adding Call of Duty would provide a big boost to the subscription market, but, as Piscatella pointed out, the impact of the popular shooter on subscriptions was quite limited.
