Current state of gaming industry: Does it affect your purchase behaviour?

[IIFloodyII]

I have the really bad habit of all the games I'm actually really looking forward to all relasing within like a month of each other, happened most years this gen and can only really justify buying 1 and will wait for a sale on the rest. Nothing has really changed about where I buy (PS) and no real plans to change that as not looking to spend a lot of money on more hardware. Game Pass did get me to buy a Series S on a sale a couple years ago, which I likely wouldn't have got a Xbox at all this gen after last gen otherwise, but not used it since Starfield.

 

[Gavalanche]

I have lost my appetite for AAA stuff due to all the closures and layoffs. I used to buy a lot more. Now 95% of it is indies on Steam, of which I buy a heap.

I am contemplating swearing of Xbox and PlayStation first party all together.

 

[ElephantShell]

I have a decent gaming PC, a Steam Deck, PS5 and a Switch and where I buy games is pretty much based on vibes. I would say all other things being equal, most titles I would prefer to buy on Steam. However there are some games I just prefer to play on PS5 for reasons I can't quite explain.

 

[Argentil]

PS5 is my primary, I find myself playing less on Steam in recent years since there have been fewer exclusive or must-have games there that aren't coming to consoles down the line. I still keep an eye out for promising indies on steam next fest and the like, but is it a meme to lament Valve's first-party output after all these years?

As far as purchases go, I make a similar amount of day 1 purchases as ever on PS5 between myself and my partner. We share our library and play a lot of the same stuff, so the value is there for us (still have to get around to Lies of P and Rise of the Ronin).

I sub to PS+ Extra, so outside of purchasing the "bigger" games, I predominantly play indies there. It's a nice avenue to discover and try more indie content. Since Extra became a thing, I often find myself adding more and more to my backlog, which is a first-world problem for sure.

 

[OskarXCI]

I game mainly on PS5 these days.

9 times out of 10, I buy my games during an online sale. New games are equivalent to $80 where I live so I'm very selective on what I buy at full price.

The current culture of releasing games unfinished, only to fix them and release DLC post-launch makes more worth it to just wait. Don't care about FOMO. I play games at my own pace.

 

[Theorry]

Nothing really has changed. At this point.
When something changes i judge it when it comes.

 

[Gelf]

I made my decision to focus of PC instead of consoles years ago. Long before the console first parties started porting stuff. Nothing has really changed since then. I might be the kind of customer they are trying to capture by porting as I'm very much in the mindset of, if you want me to look at your game you can come to where I am. If not I've got plenty to keep me busy instead.

As far as the state of the industry, I'm old, I've seen so many things I love crash and burn and get thrown away by now. Rarely had the luxury of seeing my favourite things actually succeed and maintain that success. My default expectation is that what I like won't be popular. I can't control any of that, all I can do is enjoy what is available to me in the moment and I've largely always found new things of interest.

 

[jungius]

I am always a patient gamer so nah

 

[cowbanana]

I mostly play on PC/Steam. Nothing has changed and things just get better and better.

 

[Agni Kai]

Not really. If anything, I believe I'm buying stuff on PS5 primarily, but the quantity of games I used to buy between all my platforms has certainly diminished.

 

[Valkerion]

I mostly go in on sale but if a studio claims a game is a flop after a few weeks or shutters a studio that's my green flag to wait even longer for a game to hit that magic $9-20 range.

Positivity makes me impatient and more willing to go in before it's on sale. Soon as SE said rebirth wasn't meeting expectations that put it into the 30% or more discount place for example

 

[raketenrolf]

Not really. I bought quite some XBLA games on 360 but was generally never really a fan of digital purchases on consoles. So much bullshit over the years from Sony and Nintendo made it 100% safe I'll not buy anything digital ever on consoles except when it's a low amount, like under 5€ or so.

Digital only on PC, consoles are only physical.

 

[frqunzfltr]

Yes. I'm never again considering to purchase any kind of Xbox hardware or services.

 

[Celestial Descend]

Game Pass changes my purchase hobby a bit, but most of the games I play are not on it, so not really.

 

[Ushay]

Myself on PC (4080). Kids have Xbox's. We also have a Switch Lite.

In future if the next Xbox is compelling enough I may revert back to console again. Depends entirely on what their slate looks like. Despite the negative news recently I still see them as becoming a gaming titan in future, whether that includes hardware is to be seen. If they do a hybrid PC/Console box I could see it really taking off.

 

[Kraq]

Up until recently, no. Where to buy and play games has always been a simple choice for me and that was PlayStation, with Nintendo on the side for their first party output.

But in the last few months, something has changed. For the first time, I'm considering making a permanent shift over to PC and having that be my primary platform. Obviously, there are the benefits: better frame rates, graphical options, mods and so on. But a number of things have happened recently that have begun to tilt the scales for me. Firstly, the price hike for PS Plus with no discernible benefit to go along with it. Sony want £60 from you to play online while on PC you don't pay anything. If I'm paying that amount of money, I feel obligated to use the service when I don't really want to, as opposed to PC which I can comfortably dip into as and when.

Secondly, I'm getting more and more into indie games and many of them are not making the transition over from PC to PlayStation. The quality of games coming out in that space has stepped up significantly in the last five years or so and if anyone is wondering where top tier A and AA games went, it's there. Plus, they're coming out frequently too. Every fortnight there seems to be another interesting title coming out.

Thirdly, I've primarily been a physical game purchaser and so my digital library on PlayStation isn't all that substantial. If I were to make the move, I wouldn't be leaving much behind and anything I do leave I can repurchase for cheap a couple years later anyway.

Finally, PlayStation themselves are putting their first party titles on Steam. I don't get FOMO so I can wait a year or two for their games to release on PC. If that's the case, what do I need a PlayStation for?

The only thing that's preventing me from making the move right now is the expense. PC gaming has a large upfront cost, but I'm working towards that.

 

[Argentil]

Yes. I'm never again considering to purchase any kind of Xbox hardware or services.

Click to shrink...

Oh yes, this is a factor for me as well. We've been subbed to Gamepass for years, but I won't be renewing. Just subbing to gamepass in itself was a painful mess because it's unsupported where we are.

 

[Bartis]

Choosing which platform to buy a multiplatform game for stresses me out the last few months. I used to buy most titles on Xbox, but I'm seriously starting to question if having my games library on that platform is still a wise choice. Microsoft urgently needs to come clean about this. I completely stopped buying games on Xbox for now.

I also have little faith in Sony. Should they gain an even greater share of the console market, I doubt it will be for the better for customers. Their Apple like attitude on pricing recently is concerning to say the least.

So that leaves me having most trust in Steam at this moment. It's simply the most consumer friendly and futureproof option in my eyes.

 

[Joe White]

Learned my lesson during Wii/X360/PS3 times and categorize content on console platforms as rentals. With limited access and availability, no ownership, and support & lifespan of one "generation" of devices. One can only hope that there is compatibility with future devices and marketplace revisions.

I prefer not to make any purchases and use services like game pass for majority of content. But when buying, priority is PC > Xbox > Switch > PS.

 

[Nyandeyanen]

Most of my purchases these days are on Steam because the prices and variety of games on offer there are just the best. Helps a lot that anything I buy there can be played across a variety of devices as well (PC, Deck, even my laptop if it's something old or lightweight enough). I think PS4 games comes up as a distant second to that, I'll buy stuff there every now and then when I can find a good deal on a physical game at online retailers and I know that the game runs acceptably for the hardware (buying the PS4 version of something that also came out on PS5 is a surprisingly good method to save money lol). Switch is currently an even more distant third, pretty far behind even PS4 purchases. Nintendo games are just too expensive for my liking and almost never go on deep sale so I end up skipping even relatively interesting titles like New Pokémon Snap or Pikmin 4. Xbox is basically completely gone from my gaming habits at this point, despite the venerable VCR Xbone + Game Pass combo being my main platform for a while. Xbox just has nothing to offer that I can't get on other platforms so there's no real point to it for me.

Compared to a few years ago, I'd say Xbox and Nintendo have lost a lot of presence in my life while Playstation and especially Steam has regained a lot.

 

[_Genesis_]

I make 99% of my purchases on PC. It's the only place I feel I'm going to be able to access games years from now.
Aside from that I'll buy Switch games physical and have Gamepass Ultimate (all paid for by MS Rewards).

That being said I haven't bought a game day 1 since middle of last gen. Too many games broken at launch or with loads of DLC after the fact to make it worth buying anything for full price

 

[xstaticprocess]

Really depends on the game, but most of the time you can get a lot of third party stuff cheaper on PC through different websites. With smaller indie/JRPG titles, I'll almost always just go for PC/deck, but bigger budget games I'll get on PS (though most of the time, unless it's something I'm dying to play, I'll wait at least 6 months and then get a physical copy for a decent price)

 

[03-AALIYAH]

Not really changed anything for me, since I already went Nintendo+PC years ago and mainly play indies and AA titles.
Switch : generally physical releases (but my collection is getting big)
PC : Steam and GoG, never had Gamepass as I profoundly despise this type of all-you-can-eat subscription services.

 

[Pargon]

Steam has always been the place to buy games if you care about flexibility, or backwards compatibility beyond one or two generations.
It's just getting even better now when you factor in things like local streaming/self-hosted cloud streaming, and devices like the Deck.

My only regret is that I never went all-in until 8th gen, as there are a handful of games that I bought on console which have since been delisted from sale (like OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast).
The hybrid/handheld nature of the Switch tempted me for a short time, but high prices, low quality ports, and the release of the Deck, meant that I did not pick up much there, and has ensured that I won't be picking up the successor.

There are already far too many games to play, and just about everything comes to Steam eventually - so I'll wait for the games to come to me, rather than chase after them.

 

[Delroy]

I'm far less likely to purchase big games near release, $70 may be what they're worth or fair but it's not what I want to spend. In general, I find myself waiting for sales or using sub services like Game Pass more or playing backlog. I think moving forward, I'm also less convinced I need a "next gen PS/Xbox" and would be ok with my PC and BC on the existing consoles. I'm also fairly open to cloud gaming, I use this daily. Nintendo though….day 1 nothing's changed there! 😝

 

[Akai]

Nothing has really changed for me. There are still games that I'll buy on day one/in early access and everything else I'll get on a sale. Especially if it's a SP game that I know will look different in a year or two.

 

[Black_Stride]

Always buy on PC.
The only reason I ever even bought console versions of anything was to play with friends on console....now with cross play PC all the way.


Even PS exclusives I don't bother....I can wait a year to play it's not like I'll actually miss anything.


Switch is a different story though....if no PC version then I have no choice really.

It's the first generation since the Dreamcast I haven't owned a home console and have no inclination to.
Yes sometimes the PC version is in a state....but I then just chalk it up the game isn't worth my time anyway....if it's that bad.
But I managed to do Callisto Protocol so I'm not sure how bad a port has to be for me to NOT play it on PC.

 

[Oliver James]

I buy wherever it's cheap and available

 

[thenexus6]

I play what Game Pass gives me and indie games.

 

[HellofaMouse]

not really. i buy fewer AAA games day 1, because fewer of them are coming out.

 

[St. Eam the 3rd]

Eshop and Steam, seems they are the safest long term ecosystems right now where everything else is exploding unfortunately

 

[Mukrab]

Had gamepass for a while but since i almost never used it after playing sea of thieves, i cancelled and there is nothing they can do to ever bring me back. It's just not for me. I also bought 3 games there because it was cheaper since i had a sub. Regretted buying them all there instead of steam.

 

[Ventilaator]

I considered buying an Xbox as a game pass machine and then after recent events, nah.

 

[Rosebud]

I keep buying interesting indies at Steam even if I can't play them soon. Never liked sub services.

 

[Jacknapes]

The current climate, yes it's changed my spending habits a lot.

PlayStation is my main platform, so more often than not, i'll buy my games here as well as their exclusives. Switch i see as my indie machine (well, i used to but the age of the machine means some indie games don't perform at their best, so i go elsewhere) and for it's exclusive games. Xbox i see as my Gamepass and indie machine.

But with the big games being £70, i do look for sales before buying them. I grew up with £70 games on the N64 back in the 90's, but they were (more or less) complete experiences. Sales are certainly few and far between on Switch exclusives, and games rarely (if at all) go down in price. So i do tend to buy my games full price here, unless i do find a bargain. Can't remember the last PlayStation game i paid full price for, online shops like ShopTo usually have £5-£10 off RRP.

 

[Otakunofuji]

Nothing has changed for me at all. Games I want are still coming out on the platform I want to play them on, so why would I jump ship now?

Too much doomscrolling rots your brain.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Mostly just play things on Steam when they're on sale, gifted, second hand or just especially interesting. Most of the time its just too expensive. Most of the big console releases I tend to split the cost with someone and either play through together or separately. Not so different from when you're a kid and you trade your N64 for their Playstation for a while.

 

[Regular Sega Fan]

Nothing has changed for me at all. Games I want are still coming out on the platform I want to play them on, so why would I jump ship now?

Too much doomscrolling rots your brain.

Click to shrink...

No rot brain pal
Decision making for purchase is a discipline within economic/psychology studies.
And you can see in this very thread some people change their decisions in one way or another

 

[LCGeek]

Not really I've been semi conservative for two gens outside of a few franchises which even then have caused me to wanna pullback.

If you buy games at launch you take a gamble. Much easier to wait it out and see where they land. Launch is pure fomo to me now, luckily bad launches and bad performance have soured me. Till it stops I won't lose my patience.

 

[thediamondage]

i buy 5-10% of the games I used to a decade ago thanks to digital games, gamepass/PS+, a massive backlog, and not as good a rotation cycle for used games/tradeins. Used to be new games were $44 at best buy with GCU, and gamestop would give $40-45 trade in value the first 60 days usually so it was a no brainer to basically just buy everything (physical) and hand off to relatives games they might like and trade in stuff that didn't click.

now games are $70+tax no discounts, usually $100 for ultimate editions. trade in values at gamestop tend to be $20-25 or so for new games or they won't even list a trade value most of the time. the last physical game i bought i think was god of war ragnarok.

 

[Tbm24]

No, I buy PC first still, Play Anywhere titles second so I can play on my Xbox, and my PS5 is for the occasional exclusive but I honestly don't play much of them.

I don't expect this dynamic to meaningful change anytime in the coming future.

 

[CJohn]

The only thing that affects my purchase decisions is my free time, which caused me to stop getting Switch games. I am a 100% console guy. I am 30. I will have a kid soon. I am OK with things.

 

[Reflecting Sky]

Nope. Game Pass remains a big no for me, and I still wait for games to have complete editions (like Starfield). Outside of that, there are still plenty of enjoyable games for me to pick from, and this will be the case in the future.

 

[Androzor]

My main platforms are PS5 and Switch. I prefer to buy digital on PS5 and physical on Switch.

I have a series X, but only for Game Pass. It's rare that I buy anything on that platform.

I don't have (and don't really want) a gaming PC.

The recent state of the gaming industry hasn't changed my habits at all.

 

[Arukado]

A 97% of my play time is on pc, and I barely play AAA these days, focusing on indies, AA and retro instead, so nothing has changed for me.

I will probably abandon both gaming subscriptions when they expire (gamepass in two years, plus this july) tho.

 

[Ultima_5]

My habits haven't changed much but the reasoning is different.

This gen feels like a bust and with one console maker with one foot out the door & the other threatening my account years ago when it got hacked, it makes me not really interested in buying digital software from either.

I'll still get some of the bigger games that I'm interested in, but this feels like a gen where I'll only have a couple games for each system until it feels like a good time for me to build a new pc. I️ can live off of back catalogues and indies pretty easily

 

[Ouroboros]

Honestly, this year I bought a ton of 'indie' games and only 1 AAA game which was FF7 Rebirth. I don't have as much time as I used to so it took me almost 2 months to finish FF7 Rebirth. Smaller 10-15 hour games is where I"m at right now. I can't do the....*checks FF7 Rebirth Playtime* 103 hour game anymore.

 

[evilromero]

Not really. I still buy it on PS4/5 when available.

 

[Shadow Dancer]

Gamepass PC/Xbox. I buy some games in PC, PlayAnywhere on Xbox and old stuff/indies. A lot of coop games.

 

[Menchin]

I mostly buy indie games and old 2000s RPGs so not really