New research from Omdia reveals that the global gaming subscriptions market is poised to reach record heights, with revenue anticipated to exceed $22bn by 2027, or 11.6% of the total global spend on games. Following unprecedented growth in 2020 and 2021, games subscriptions plateaued in 2022 in line with broader market trends. However, a resurgence is anticipated in 2023, with a projected 10.9% growth, reaching $16bn.

  • Subscription services are expected to account for 11.6% of the total gaming industry in 2027.
  • The number of paying subscribers will grow to 217 million by 2027, Omdia predicts. By the end of 2023, there will be 175 million.
  • By the end of 2023, subscription services will be a $16 billion industry.
Omdia Game Subscriptions and Cloud Gaming Market Forecast 2023

Omdia includes several types of offerings in its subscription services:

  1. Game library services (Xbox Game Pass; Netflix; advanced versions of PlayStation Plus subscriptions). These will account for 44% of all revenue ($7.3 billion) in 2023
  2. In-game subscriptions – 30% of all revenue ($4.8 billion).
  3. Subscriptions to access platform functionality (online play) – 26% of all revenue ($4.3 billion).
  • Services offering cloud gamification will earn $3.6 billion in 2023. By 2027, the figure will increase to $6.4 billion. Growth will be driven by Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PlayStation Plus Premium subscriptions.
  • The average annual growth rate for subscription services will be 6.58%.
  • Currently, Microsoft and Sony are the leaders in the subscription business. Together, they have 51 million paying users.

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