Game subscription services “may not be so valuable” according to Sony CEO

As we have seen with many other media industries, the video games market has seen a recent shift towards game subscription services thanks to the focus by Microsoft on Xbox Game Pass. PlayStation offers their own similar subscription service – though according to the company’s CEO, such services “may not be so valuable compared with video streaming services.”

In an interview conducted by Norges Bank Investment Management (and transcribed by ResetEra user DriftingSpirit), Sony’s CEO Kenichiro Yoshida sat down to speak on a range of topics. In discussing the recent rise in game subscription services, Yoshia commented on the fact that such services may not be as beneficial to players when compared to other industries, saying:

“People usually play 1 game at a time, so an all you can eat type of many games may not be so valuable compared with video streaming services. We have a balanced/hybrid service on PSN, subscription as well as pay per content.”

As mentioned by Yoshida, while Sony does have its own game subscription service in the form of PlayStation Plus Extra, the company continues to put an increased emphasis on purchasing new games outright – with PS Plus primarily used to play older titles.

It seems as though for the time being, this strategy is not changing – creating an interesting spectrum of strategies across Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. It will be curious to see which strategy ends up being the new norm for the games industry.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Yoshida’s statement? Do you prefer Nintendo, Microsoft or Sony’s game release strategy and why? Let us know down below.

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