The Rise of 'Games as a Service' in the PS5 Generation
TapTechNews May 30th, a notable distinction in the PS5 generation compared to PS4 is the rise of 'games as a service'. This isn't about a specific game genre but a business model that emphasizes continuous updates and evolution of game content over time rather than a one-time finished experience. The slide shown in last night's PlayStation business unit meeting reveals that this model is changing the way players interact with games.
As of now, PS5 players' spending has increased by 26% compared to the same period of PS4, reaching a total of 731 million US dollars (TapTechNews note: approximately 5.307 billion RMB currently), while PS4 was 580 million. However, it's notable that despite the increase in total spending, the sales of complete games have decreased by 12%.
So why is this? Data shows that expenditure on additional content (aka microtransactions) has soared by 176%. This means players are buying new games less frequently and instead investing more money in the games they already own.
It's worth noting that PS Plus membership subscription revenue has also increased by 57%, and sales of accessories such as PS Portal have also risen. But compared to the previous generation, the biggest change is the huge amounts of money players are investing in continuous operation games such as