That’s where the idea for Arcade, and similar services like Google Play Pass, Google Stadia and Microsoft xCloud, comes in. Arcade offers a subscription for $4.99 per month for unlimited access to game titles and game play, and both promise no advertising or in-app purchases, like buying a Netflix subscription for games. At $4.99 per month—the same as the even newer Google Play Pass—it should be within reach for a broad range of consumers.
These services could be attractive for an array of consumers. For less-intense gamers, the services are optimized for mobile but avoid the advertising found in most mobile games. Hardcore gamers can play a variety of game titles without dealing with in-app purchases or buying the games. That said, hardcore gamers may eventually gravitate toward subscription-based streaming gaming services, such as Google's Stadia and Microsoft xCloud, which leave the heavy computing to cloud-based servers, letting them replicate the full console experience from any device.
There are many opportunities for these subscription gaming services, but there are also some potential pitfalls. First of all, there may be a point when consumers feel some subscription fatigue. A March 2019 survey by Fetch found that 40% of respondents indicated that they would look into how many subscriptions they have in order to pare down some. It’s still unclear whether subscription games will run into subscription fatigue or ride the subscription wave.