Ever wondered how Xbox Game Pass seems to be the gift that keeps on giving? Well, one of those reasons appears to be due to the fact that subscribers "spend 20% on more gaming" if they're part of the service, according to one Microsoft executive.
Sarah Bond, vice president of the gaming ecosystem at Microsoft, has recently spoken to Forbes and provided some insight into the success of Xbox Game Pass. Some key stats from Bond claim that "Game Pass subscribers spend 20% more time playing games, play 30% more games, [and] play 40% more genres". But Bond later adds that 20% of subscribers also invest more money into the games they play through the service, describing how it works differently to the 'Netflix' model.
"When you subscribe to a channel that enables you to watch a video, like Netflix, that’s kind of the end of the monetization cycle that you have with that piece of content. In gaming it’s the opposite: there are items that you can buy in the game, there are extensions you can buy, there’s a next franchise you can purchase, there are other genres that you can leap to."
With games such as Sea of Thieves and Gears 5 on the service, it's no surprise that people spend extra money on cosmetic items - especially when they've downloaded the game via Xbox Game Pass. The success of Game Pass is evidently continuing to grow, and if systems like this are keeping it in place, no doubt we'll get some more great games added in the future.
Are you happy with the content on Xbox Game Pass right now? Let us know in the comments below
[source forbes.com]
Comments 11
It's a bit of a weird one. I've certainly been linked to other games in a series from playing a particular iteration on game pass. So I would spend money on a separate game in the same series.
I suspect I may be an outlier here though, I would never buy DLC for a game from a subscription. It doesn't sit right with me to spend money on content for a game that I am renting/subscribing to. I would have to buy the game in its entirety before I felt right about buying DLC for it.
With that in mind, I'd be less inclined to buy a game that is on game pass anyway so I would never buy the DLC for it either.
I think for some games, this means I won't get the full experience if the DLC isn't included on game pass.
But on some other games that I would want to own properly, (and these are rare occurences) I would have to buy the game even if it's on game pass. For example, I bought the Doom Eternal Deluxe Edition with the season pass even though the base game was on game pass.
This is rare though because I absolutely love the Doom series so I would want to collect the games physically to own anyway.
I just don't want to buy DLC for something I can't access when my sub runs out. I wouldn't have bought the Gears 5 Hivebusters DLC without owning the base game if it wasn't already included in my sub.
I’m part of this unintentionally. Before gamepass I chose my games intentionally and at my stage of life it was a very specific list since gamepass I’ve indulged more then usual and bought games I never would have because I’m simply spending more time gaming.
I also find it off-putting to buy DLC for a game I don't own, however, I have done it to some extent in that I spent a little less than $10 in Sea of Thieves when the pet dogs were released.
However, I bought Batman Arkham Knight Premium Edition on PS4, even though I had access to the base game on GP - I would have bought it on Xbox, but it went on sale on PS4 first (by "first" I mean first since I've been aware of/interested in the game).
Additionally, I bought Control UE after playing through the base game on GP because I wanted to play the DLC, but that came with the base game of course, so not quite the same as buying DLC for a game I don't own.
I actually sold my physical copy of Rare Replay after subscribing to GP as well.
GP has also influenced my purchasing choices on other platforms in other ways as well. I bought the first 3 Thief games on GOG so I could play them before I play Dishonored 1 and 2 on GP, and I also bought Shadow Warrior on PS4 because I wanted to play it before I play SW2 on GP, although I only bought it on PS4 because it went on sale for a such a low price - I would have purchased on Xbox if the price was the same or it went on sale on Xbox first (again, by "first" I mean first since I've been aware of/interested in the series).
Admittedly I'm not a part of this demographic, but Game Pass has brought me to a platform — which on the rare occasion I spend more money on — that I otherwise wouldn't be on altogether.
I think that headline is really misleading. She said 20% of GP users also spend money on their GP games. Headline makes it sound like GP subscribers spend 20% more on gaming than non-subscribers...or that’s how I read it.
I buy GP dlc all the time without getting the game. Did it for Minecraft Dungeons, Stellaris, and Vermintide 2. Probably wouldn't have paid anything if I wasn't able to play the base game on GP first.
@JasonLee99 I agree with you, slightly misleading
Maybe it's because we still spend the same on games + the Game Pass Subscription - and get a much bigger library...
@JasonLee99 Its 2 separate things
1st - Game Pass Subscribers spend 20% more on gaming
Then, after some other quotes like GP players spend 20% more time playing, 30% more games, 40% more genres...
2nd, and 20% of all those Subscribers also spend money on content in those games on GP. All the other stats were talking about the collective Subscriber base where as only 1 in 5 of that collective spends money in Game Pass games
For me, Gamepass only slightly pays at least until the big 1st party games come out. I just bought DQ11, FFX, FFXII on the Squeenix sale even though it's all on GP, even though I own them all on 2 other platforms, because between Sony shutting down their old store and the autohdr improvements I'd rather have them on XB. Could have done it on GP, but the sales were pretty good. Also bought Fallen Order because I've heard great things about it, even though once I move to Ultimate in a few months EA Play is included.
That's the thing. You can get the base game, but many titles that are part of Game Pass do not include the DLC. Many do of course! So if you enjoyed the base game, why would you not invest in the DLC, which is of course, cheaper in part to what you would have paid for the full game if you paid for it!
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