That would be particularly handy for Valve since it already owns the Index VR headset. Valve could even include VR games in its subscription service, going head-to-head with Viveport. Having the option of a Steam Pass would also make the likes of the Steam Deck even more of a tempting purchase, helping to boost hardware sales as well as getting a consistent income from its user base. And while it hasn’t got as many first-party game franchises like Microsoft, the likes of Half-Life, Portal and Left 4 Dead are still hugely popular. Valve is already in a great position to imitate the Game Pass model, since it already has an established working relationship with all of the major game publishers. It wouldn’t need to abandon its incredibly successful storefront – just as Xbox hasn’t ditched the Microsoft Store – but could offer it as an additional option.
Don’t get me wrong, digital storefronts will always be around – just like how you can still buy films rather than signing up to Netflix – but there’s a good chance that Steam could start to see a decline in sales for some of the highest profile game franchises.īut there is a solution to this issue for Valve, as it could launch its very own subscription service to take on Game Pass directly.
Of course, it’s important to remember that all of those games will likely be available via Steam too, as there won’t be any exclusivity issues like with PlayStation, but why bother paying £50 or more on these games via Steam when you can pay £7.99 per month via Game Pass instead?Īs Xbox’s portfolio continues to grow, it’s becoming far more appealing to sign up to the Game Pass subscription rather than paying high upfront fees to buy games individually. Those franchises join the likes of The Elder Scrolls, Doom, Fallout, Halo, Forza, Gears and Fable under the Xbox umbrella. That includes Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Tony Hawk and more. In the near future, every game series in the Activision Blizzard acquisition will be available through Game Pass. Such a figure won’t be worrying Steam just yet, although that could soon change following the Activision Blizzard acquisition.
Microsoft recently revealed that Game Pass currently has 25 million subscribers, although it’s worth pointing out that number combines both the PC and Xbox (and even smartphone) user base. For those unaware, this is a subscription service that gives you access to a massive library of games for a monthly fee – it’s often been described as the ‘Netflix of gaming’. This shows that Steam is comfortably the most popular PC platform right now.īut a new challenger has entered the ring: Microsoft’s Game Pass. Steam revealed back in 2020 that it had 120 million monthly active players, while Epic revealed its storefront had 58 million monthly active users in 2021.
0 kommentar(er)
