The biggest threat to the industry is not the signatures, but games as a service, says Matt Piscatella

There are many discussions on the impacts of signature services, such as Game Pass, on the game industry. Recently, Raphael Colantonio, founder of Arkane, said not only that the game Pass model would be unsustainable in the long run, but also that the players themselves would eventually hate the service by realizing the negative effects it can have on the market.

Now Matt Piscatella – renowned market analyst – has brought a new perspective, pointing out that there is a much more worrying threat to the industry: games as a service (Gaas). According to him, the 10 most popular Gaas games consume almost half of all hours played in PlayStation and Xbox ecosystems, making competition difficult for other titles significantly.

“Some think signature services are bad, others think they are good. Certainly, they do not harm or benefit everyone equally. The top 10 games like service consume almost half of all hours of playstation and Xbox ecosystems – even before any other game gets a slice – is a much larger threat than the signature model, in my opinion… but what do I know?

In every presentation I make, at some point I say, “The biggest competitor of any new game or service is Fortnite.” Compared to what Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox and other titles in this group are doing, nothing more really matters. ”

Still commenting on the signature scenario, Piscatella pointed out that spending on this type of service in the United States reached a historic record: $ 600 million in May alone. “In my view, the pressure from the highest prices in everyday categories, such as food, coupled with general economic uncertainty, has led people to seek more value for money.”he commented.

The top 10 live service games sucking nearly half of all gaming hours from the PS and XBX ecosystems before any other game can even get a taste is a far bigger threat than the sub model imo but what do I know.

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2025-07-09T13:51:25.542Z