The world is entering the age of subscriptions. No longer do we really own things, but simply rent them as a service. This transformation is the start of the ‘sharing economy’ era. The renting of cars and houses and, more recently, music and movies has become commonplace. Even software delivery is evolving into Software as a Service, or SaaS, essentially a cloud-based subscription model.
The gaming industry is changing too, with the possibility of buying season passes for a game instead of paying full price. New and exciting games emerge every day, and you won’t be able to play and store all of them your whole life. Against that background, the renting of games on a subscription basis has emerged as the next big gaming trend.
Weapons “Cosmetics” And Their Impact On The In-Game Process
But there’s one part of the gaming industry that doesn’t quite fit the picture. While typical in-game items offer the possibilities to get new weapons, accessories, and characters that enhance power and skills, CS:GO skins from Valve’s hit game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are not only developed for a purely cosmetic purpose, but also have an “expiration time.” So, you’re not only paying just for looks, but for an item which, if used, will disappear from your arsenal. It seems a lot like a subscription, as a matter of fact.
Nevertheless, lots of players are ready to spend massive amounts of money for an original design for their gun or knife. Skins are typically received when playing CS:GO, but also can be bought at the Steam Community Market, which is also owned by Valve. Most of them are inexpensive, and this business doesn’t seem to be very successful; however, keep in mind that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has millions of monthly active players. The profit from their trade is rather high, considering that Valve takes the 15% fee from every CS:GO-related acquisition. The fact that you can’t withdraw the funds from the Steam Market, but only use them for buying something else on the platform, makes the final revenue even bigger.
Offering A New Type Of Money Earning
Thanks to this limitation, a new type of business has risen. Independent platforms pay real money for skins. Most of them serve as a place for trade listings. Others, like https://skins.cash/, buy CS:GO items immediately by offering various payment methods and currencies. It even has its own API in case someone wants to sell in bulk.
The Valve Corporation is the business genius that came up with the whole new industry of skin trading, which brings millions in profit by making the CS:GO incredibly popular among gamers.
