During an October 2022 survey among U.S. gaming households, Microsoft’s Xbox Live or Game Pass narrowly beat out Sony’s PlayStation Plus offering in terms of popularity. When asked about which gaming sources were a must-have for them, 58 percent of respondents stated that Xbox gaming subscriptions were a must-have source of entertainment which they could not do without, compared to 57 percent of respondents who stated the same about PS Plus. Exclusive access to video games via subscriptions services is the current battleground among platform operators and has driven a significant amount of video game M&A in recent years.