Industry Journalist Says Xbox Game Pass Does Increase Premium Sales, But Mainly on PS5 | Push Square
Former GamesIndustry.biz journalist Christopher Dring (now contributing to VGC again, you love to see it) says that one of the unexpected upsides to Xbox's Game Pass subscription service, at least for Sony, is that certain additions to the service can have a «strong impact» on PlayStation sales.
In an industry Q&A over on InstallBaseForum (thanks, PSU), Dring was asked his thoughts on the effect the subscription-based Game Pass has had on the premium game market. He said that it could be something of a double-edged sword, hurting big blockbuster titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and paradoxically increasing sales on PS5. Expanding, he explained:
«Anecdotally, games that are in Game Pass can expect to lose around 80% of its expected premium sales on Xbox. That’s the figure that gets thrown around. It’s less if it’s a big mainstream release, but generally… look at how low Hellblade 2 charted. Or where Indiana Jones came. Or even Starfield. Game Pass clearly hurt sales of those titles on Xbox. But… if it’s a game on multiple platforms, it can be beneficial. That surge in players on Xbox can have a strong impact on sales on PlayStation, for instance.»
That said, Game Pass certainly plays a part in expanding the types of games the average subscriber is exposed to in a given year, which Dring acknowledges: «We know from data that there are a lot of people that only play Call of Duty. And if some of those people decided to get Call of Duty this year via Game Pass, and those very same people took the opportunity to play some other Game Pass games, games they wouldn’t have otherwise played… it’s hard to argue that’s a bad thing.»
Up 30% on PS5, down 66% on Xbox
What do you think of Dring's revelations? Can you see how Game Pass hype could translate into greater sales on PS5? Let us know in the comments section below.
Khayl Adam is Push Square's roving Australian correspondent, a reporter tasked with scouring the internet for the richest, most succulent
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