Ubisoft's British division stated in a recent report that consumers play "fewer games" and spend "more time" in them, which makes it difficult for new releases to find an audience and achieve good sales.
According to the document, the traditional model of selling a full-fledged game for £50-60 as a one-time purchase is becoming a thing of the past. It is being replaced by subscriptions to multiple games, long-term game services, free-to-play models, and cloud streaming, which offer gamers more convenient and attractive ways to access content.
Consumers play fewer games, spend more time in them, and as a result, with rare exceptions, many new games struggle to stand out and achieve the sales they used to. The market has become more volatile, and the potential of a particular title is less predictable.