| October 2, 2019 | Juan Ibarra | editor-in-chief |
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The subscription-based business model has taken over almost every facet of entertainment. Netflix, Spotify and AMC A-List are examples of a subscription model taking over the television, music and movie theater sectors, so the addition of mobile gaming succumbing to the trend isn’t surprising, but raises alarm.
Apple Arcade and Play Pass are two subscription services from Apple and Google, and while Apple Arcade is centered on exclusive games, Play Pass allows Android users access to games and other premium apps all for the cost of $6 a month.
This sounds great for the consumer. Paying a couple of dollars a month and being given access to hundreds of apps is great.
However, this is horrible for the developers.
According to Google, developers earn a royalty that incorporates time subscribers spend in their app and captures how users value all types of content.
This payment model is not a viable option for developers with apps in the Play Pass.
Working for months or years on a product just to get pennies on the dollar is not a sustainable income for anyone.
The argument can be made that users are more likely to continue playing a product they have access to if it is enjoyable and available to them in a service, therefore giving developers more money than they ever could have imagined from individual purchases.
However, when it comes to mobile games, people don’t tend to spend long periods of time staring at the screen unless it is a game that has no ending and forces players to stay interested.
A subscription model can be great, but it is only as good as the content allows it to be. And if the content is being forced to adapt for a service model then we lose the artistic integrity.
People need to support creators. If there is a great app that one enjoys, giving them a few dollars shouldn’t be a problem.
Paying creators for the content they provide should never be a sin.
