Sony Interactive Entertainment has recently announced a significant price hike for its PlayStation Plus subscriptions and it’s stirring up mixed feelings among its user base.
Starting September 6, the cost of a 12-month PlayStation Plus subscription will increase globally across all tiers, which is including Essential, Extra, and Premium. The Essential subscription is getting bumped up from $59.99 to $79.99; the Extra tier will move from $99.99 to $134.99, and the Premium tier will rise from $119.99 to $159.99. The increases aren’t limited to just U.S. dollars either. Similar hikes have been observed in the European, U.K., and Japanese pricing schemes, making this a worldwide phenomenon.
According to Sony, the reason for the price adjustment is to “continue bringing high-quality games and value-added benefits to your PlayStation Plus subscription service.” However, Sony’s explanation has not gone down well with many subscribers, given that the announcement was notably lacking in the specifics about what these “value-added benefits” would entail. Essentially, the company is asking its users to pay more but hasn’t clearly stated what additional services or features they will be getting for their money.
While the more expensive rates won’t affect current 12-month subscribers until their next renewal date after November 6, we can’t say the same for membership changes made on or after September 6. Moreover, it’s worth mentioning that even with the price increase, the annual subscriptions still represent a more economical choice compared to monthly or quarterly plans, albeit to a lesser extent than before.
The timing of this announcement is interesting as it comes on the heels of Microsoft’s decision to raise the prices for its Xbox Game Pass, stirring the competitive landscape of gaming subscriptions. However, one key differentiator between the two services is Microsoft’s commitment to releasing its big first-party exclusives on Game Pass on day one. Sony has previously stated that offering the same kind of access would be “financially unsustainable,” leading to a reduction in the quality of its first-party games.
PlayStation Plus subscriptions offer a range of features that vary by tier. The Essential tier is the most basic, providing its subscribers with online multiplayer access, a monthly collection of free PS4 and PS5 games, cloud storage, and marked discounts on PlayStation Store purchases. The Extra tier adds access to Sony’s Game Catalog featuring hundreds of PS4 and PS5 titles, and the Premium tier offers even more, including Sony’s Classics Catalog, game trials, and cloud streaming services.
Despite the offerings, the announcement has fueled skepticism and even backlash. The growing dissent is aimed at the lack of any added discernible value to the existing service. For example, unlike Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus doesn’t offer brand new releases but selects games from past months or even years. Moreover, the price increase, roughly 35% across the board, has incited comparisons with other platforms like Steam, which offers similar functionalities such as online multiplayer and cloud saves entirely for free. The new prices have led some gamers to question the viability of their current subscriptions and whether they will continue, downgrade, or even cancel their service altogether.
The sentiment echoes a similar scenario when Xbox tried to double the price of Xbox Live Gold but had to retract the decision due to community uproar. It remains to be seen whether Sony will heed its users’ concerns or if it will stick to its new pricing strategy.
One can’t help but wonder if Sony could’ve mitigated the blow if it reserved its best offerings for PS Plus for when the price increase came. As it stands, the July and August PS Plus Essential freebies as well as next month’s lineup leave a lot to be desired, and that’s without considering the more expensive offerings.
