Over 40% of U.S. users have canceled console game subscription services because of the unacceptable cost

Abstract:

According to the "Video Game Consumer Insights Future Report" by market research firm Circana, rising costs are becoming a more important reason for U.S. consumers to cancel game subscription services. More than 40% of consumers who canceled Xbox Game Pass Basic, PlayStation Plus Basic, or Nintendo Switch Online cited cost as the main reason, an increase from the first quarter.

Circana's Matt Piscatella shared the findings, noting that cost factors are becoming increasingly prominent among the reasons for cancellations across all three subscription services.

Piscatella also clarified that this data does not mean that more than 40% of subscribers have canceled their memberships. "It is estimated that someone in the comment area may have misinterpreted it as 41% of subscribers have unsubscribed. Of course, this is not the meaning of the data at all," he said.

The survey comes as game subscription services become an increasingly important part of the console ecosystem. PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass and Nintendo Switch Online all provide different combinations of membership benefits such as online services and game libraries based on regular payment.

PlayStation Plus is divided into three levels: basic version, upgraded version and premium version. Depending on the subscription level, it provides online multiplayer play, monthly free games and richer game library access.

Xbox Game Pass covers Xbox consoles, PCs and cloud gaming platforms. Higher-end subscriptions can play Microsoft's new first-party games and other games. Nintendo Switch Online features online connections, cloud archives, and classic Nintendo game library benefits. Players can also obtain more content through expansion packs.

This survey result from Circana specifically focuses on unsubscriptions of the basic plans of PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass and Nintendo Switch Online. Data shows that cost factors are increasingly playing a role among users who choose to terminate these subscriptions.

The survey did not calculate the overall proportion of unsubscribers for each service. The data of more than 40% refers to the proportion of unsubscribed users of the above services who listed cost as one of the main reasons for unsubscribing.