When Netflix was first introduced to the world, everybody loved the idea. Instead of paying for every movie or each series separately, the service gave you access to an impressive online library, accessible for a low price. Thanks to Netflix, people were enjoying their favorite movies and shows without having to run to the store each time a new one released. The idea was gold and the user base of Netflix grew by the minute. And yet, the Netflix model also came with a downside, the competition.
The competition
What made Netflix such a strong platform was the fact that you could easily enjoy a lot of content for a low price. In the early days, there was no doubt about it, streaming was the future and was here to stay. Fast-forward to today and the landscape of television streaming is a lot different. Netflix no longer is the only big player, and tons of other streaming services wanted a cut. Now you have to choose between Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Disney+, and more. This means that if you want to watch everything, you’ll have to pay for every service separately, which results in a lot of money. Due to this, a lot of viewers are canceling their subscriptions and are going back to illegal ways of obtaining their favorite movies/shows, which of course, isn’t a good evolution.
The competition and the greediness of all companies killed the benefits of television streaming. It’s no longer fun or beneficial for the viewers if they have to pay a lot of money to watch everything they want to see. And let’s be honest: every single one of those services has something you would like to watch. Exclusivity is the main selling point of these services and all of them were able to acquire something worth watching. It’s this type of evolution that will eventually mean the downfall for Game Streaming Services.
Enter Game Streaming Services
If we take a look at what the future of gaming holds, it’s clear that streaming will be a huge part of that future. This was made clear during this year’s E3 where everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Xbox has its Xcloud service, PlayStation will use the Azure servers for streaming, Ubisoft comes with Uplay+, and let’s not forget Google Stadia, a system solely focussed on game streaming. Right from the start, there will be a lot of different services to choose from, all at a relatively low price but combined, you’ll pay a lot of extra money for games you’ll never own physically. Game Streaming Services are following the same idea as Netflix. For a small monthly fee, you’re able to access a vast library of games but once you cancel your subscription, you’re unable to continue playing. It’s a strange development in the gaming industry and just like Netflix, I think the competition will eventually ruin it for everybody.
Instead of getting one service where you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite games, you’ll have to decide which service you’ll want to get. Of course, this is already the case with console and PC exclusives but aside from the initial price of your console or PC, this exclusivity doesn’t come with a monthly charge. In reality, you’ll still need to buy the streaming console of your choice and pay extra for third party services if you want to enjoy all of your favorite games. I’m afraid that in the long run, things won’t get cheaper for the gamers, similar to what television fans are struggling with today.
The solution?
So how can gaming companies solve this issue while it’s clear that’s exactly the path they want to take? Well, I think they’ll offer you a choice. My guess is that during the early years, you’ll still be able to get your new console and games physically in stores. Both Xbox and PlayStation confirmed that their next-generation console still has a disc reader, which would make no sense if they want to go all-digital. It’s clear that streaming services are still rather new for gaming companies and most of them are still figuring out how to get their 4K games running without any lag over a streaming network. The next-generation will release too soon to justify an all streaming strategy and yet that’s exactly what Google Stadia is trying to pull off. Depending on the success of that platform, I think we’ll quickly see where the future is heading. With the way things are looking right now, I’m hoping that companies will give the fans both options. Yes, you can subscribe to several services if you like but if that’s not your cup of tea, you can still pick up your favorite games in stores, including those fancy collector’s editions. In all honesty, I think that’s the only way Game Streaming Services might succeed in the future if they remain optional and never force gamers to spend more money than they are willing to spend in order to own all of their favorite games. Of course, this is only a temporary solution since internet connection and streaming serves will only get better in the future but for the coming years, I think we’re pretty safe. As the Netflix model already demonstrated, not everybody is willing to pay up for multiple subscriptions, I’m pretty sure the gaming companies understand the risk if they continue moving forward to an all-streaming future.
Conclusion:
To conclude, I do think the risk of the Netflix model is real but I think most game companies understand this risk too. As already proven in the past, companies will do everything that’s in their power to satisfy the gamer. For now, I think Streaming Services might be a good addition to your PC or console but they never should become obligatory since there would simply be too many services to subscribe to.
