Sony won't budge on strict PlayStation Plus policy, reiterates original plans

PlayStation still has no plans to mimic Xbox Game Pass's biggest selling feature.

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Xbox Game Pass was created to disrupt the industry and build a new service-oriented business model. This plan worked so well that both Nintendo and Sony put their own unique spins on what the FTC would call "value-added, multi-game subscription services," creating the 3-tiered PS Plus and Switch Online subscriptions. But unlike Xbox, neither Nintendo nor Sony were willing to put their biggest games on a subscription on day one because of the impact to sales (a phenomenon referred to as "cannibalization").

Now Sony management has reiterated its original plan. Sony remains steadfast in its commitment to avoid launching marquee first-party PlayStation games onto PS Plus. In a recent interview with Game File, Sony VP of global services Nick Maguire laid out a familiar game plan for PlayStation Plus.

"Our strategy of finding four or five independent day-and-date titles, and using that to complement our strategy of bringing games in when they're 12-18 months old or older, that balance for us is working really well across the platform," Maguire said.

"We've sort of stayed true to our strategy across the board, where we're not looking to put games in day and date."

This strategy has led to a balanced business where PlayStation Plus isn't the main driver of revenue, but an adjacent and highly-synergized contributor. PS Plus delivers regular, stable revenues every month and helped Sony achieve a record-breaking $31 billion in earnings through FY24.

PlayStation Plus may not launch first-party games day one, but it will continue borrowing from the Game Pass playbook.

Sony has released a multitude of third-party indie games onto PlayStation Plus day and date, including recent titles like Stray, Animal Well, a Harry Potter quidditch game, and Remedy's new 3-player shooter, FBC: Firebreak.

To grow its subscriber base, Sony plans to invest into PlayStation Plus by adding more value. It's unclear what this means exactly--whether or not it means more free games, DLC, microtransactions, or other perks--but PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino did warn that more price hikes are possible.

"PlayStation Plus service offers great value for our players and we will continue to add more value and adjust our pricing strategy in a dynamic way to maximize profitability," Nishino said at a recent Sony corporate strategy meeting.