The new PlayStation Plus will skip Sony’s day-one exclusives. A carefully considered decision so as not to disrupt PlayStation Studios productions.
The PS+ has announced the overhaul of its offerings and will eventually offer three tiers of subscription. The most expensive of these includes PS Now and all current PS Plus benefits, as well as game trials. These demos may relate to exclusives, but these will not be available when they release like Xbox Game Pass. The CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment justified himself by not closing the door on change.
Get the most out of PlayStation Studios games
Jim Ryan, CEO and President of Sony Interactive Entertainment, refuses to include exclusive first-party games in the new PS Plus, lest they suffer. When our colleagues out gaming industry asked him about Microsoft’s service, he replied:
We feel like we’re in a good virtuous circle with studios that are investing in success, which allows for even more investment, which brings even more success. Putting our own games into this service, or one of our services when they come out…as you know, that’s not the route we’ve taken in the past. And that’s not the way we’re going to go with this new service.. We believe that if we did that with our PlayStation Studios games, that virtuous circle would be broken.. The level of investment we require for our studios would be compromised, as would the quality of the games, and we believe that’s not what gamers want..
A new future-proof PS Plus?
What could be construed as stinginess is basically logical and also responds to PlayStation’s successful business. We know that developing AAA takes millions of dollars and time, and then a real return on investment is required.
By sticking with a classic model for $80 (maximum recommended price), Sony Interactive Entertainment can rest easy in the event of success. And thanks to the PS4, it is. A generation that exploded Sony licenses. Games like Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End or Marvel’s Spider-Man have easily exceeded the mark of 10 million copies sold. Now imagine replacing this sum with a subscription of ten dollars … not to mention the versatility of the system, without commitment, where the player can take a month, play several titles and not repeat themselves for X times can register.
Although Sony Interactive Entertainment is the manufacturer that generates the most gaming revenue, the Sony group’s other activities are not as successful. When PlayStation rocks, Sony can rock. The opposite of Microsoft, which has an “unlimited” portfolio, as we like to say in the industry, and can therefore rely heavily on a subscription service. Because that’s the whole point: investing heavily to gain subscribers to be profitable one day.
But while there aren’t any exclusive games for PS Plus at the moment, that could change in the future:
All I’m talking about today is our short-term approach. With the way our model currently works, it doesn’t make sense (hint: add the excluded ones at startup). But as we all know, things can change quickly in this industry.
