• Subscription-based gaming has been adopted by industry players.
• Amazon (NASDAQ) and Google joined the fray with Google Play Pass and Amazon Luna.
• Blockchain-based games also include subscription-based access model.

Video game ownership has been a surprisingly fluid concept over the course of the industry’s history. Developers have tried different ownership structures, from the fall and rise of arcades to the emergence of new gaming consoles. If the history of music and film over the last decade shows, it is clear that subscription-based gaming will be the future.

Industry leaders like Sony Microsoft (NASDAQ:), Nintendo, (NYSE:), and Microsoft have adopted subscription-based models. Google and Amazon are new tech giants to the scene and have launched competing gaming subscription services. Who will remain at the top when all is said and done?

We must first look back at the past to predict the future. We can see that Microsoft is an early adopter of subscription-based access. In fact, they first offered EA Access for the Xbox One and then took the concept to the next level by launching Game Pass 2017! For $9.99 per monthly, the service provided unlimited access to more than 100 Xbox One games and Backward Compatible Xbox 360 titles.

Game Pass was credited by gaming giant for many of the titles’ successes. Titles like “Sea of Thieves” and “State of Decay 2” reportedly have around 5 million players, while “Forza Horizon 4” had 2 million people online in the first week and over 7 million in total. Microsoft announced that it had over 10,000,000 Xbox Game Pass subscribers in April 2020. This number reached over 25,000,000 by January 2022.

Sony followed this trend with PlayStation Now. It uses cloud-based streaming for content delivery. Instead of running on the player’s console, the game is run on remote servers and streamed directly to the player’s device. To compete with Game Pass’s substantive catalog, Sony is reportedly working on a new service that merges its two subscription-based services set for release this spring.

Nintendo is a hipster video game company that has profited from subscriptions through nostalgia appeals. Nintendo You can switch (NYSE:) Online is an emulator for older consoles. It gives players access to classic games on NES and SNES as well as the Nintendo 64. The latter can be accessed via an expansion pack.

But the limited scope of the subscription service reflects the company’s carefully curated brand identity, focused on the quality and draw of individual games. Nintendo is not a company that makes games like Microsoft or Sony. It does not offer a multi-media ecosystem with subscriptions like other tech companies.

Amazon Luna was launched by Google Play Pass and Google Luna were announced after both companies saw the direction of the wind. Announced in 2020, Luna is a subscription service that lets users sign up for one or several themed “channels,” allowing players to somewhat curate their subscriptions based on their interests and needs.

Playable games can be accessed via web browsers, Fire TV, tablets and other mobile devices. Google Play Pass was launched in 2020 to give android users unlimited mobile access to hundreds more titles.

Some blockchain-based videogames are at the forefront of the industry and offer subscription-based access. Cradles, for example, introduces the first crypto-game subscription service. This is in contrast to the Play-to-Earn model.

Cradles users can get the game via a monthly card, unlike most other games. It shows developers’ confidence in the quality and playability their game. The focus on long-term viability is emblematic of the rise of Play-to-Enjoy games in the blockchain gaming space after the frenzy of last year’s Play-to-Earn craze.

What does all this mean? This summary shows that subscription gaming is best for companies which provide a multi-media ecosystem. Nintendo’s limited scope is what limits the potential growth of Sony and Microsoft.

But that is not the whole picture – Google and Amazon, while tech/media giants in their own right, are somewhat limited in the quality of their catalogs since they are not primarily gaming companies. These services could benefit from partnering with developers to expand their catalogues.

The best chances of success in games within the blockchain space are those who focus on quality, and look towards the future when it comes down to playability.

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