When Game Developers Conference, Microsoft intervened on many points. In addition to presenting his ID@Azure program for independent developers, the company also revealed many statistics. Among them, the impact of the Game Pass on the habits of players and their consumption of games.
Players who play more and more
As Eurogamer’s study revealed a few months ago, we have confirmation that subscribers are playing 40% more games, and spend 50% more on the Microsoft Store than a non-subscriber to the service. They also try 40% more games, with a 30% increase in the number of game genres tested. According to feedback from Microsoft, 90% of gamers say they’ve played games they wouldn’t have launched if they weren’t on Game Pass.
Regarding games, the effect of Game Pass is also beneficial. We learn that for games arriving as soon as they are released in the service, the increase in the number of players is very marked during the first 90 days of availability:
- x3.5 for games from major publishers
- x15 for independent titles
- x8.3 on average
For the 2017-2020 period, independent developer revenue growth reached 300%. According to the numbers given by Microsoft, almost 2/3 of this increase would be related to Game Pass.
This should begin to allay the fears that several players in the video game sector may have had regarding this new economic model. Especially since according to Microsoft, the games remain viable even if they do not integrate the Game Pass catalog.
