PS Plus continues to remain without Day 1 releases as big titles – and for good reason, says Sony
No, God of War Ragnarök isn’t coming to launch on the PS Plus subscription, no matter how upset Kratos gets.
Microsoft also brings its big games to the Game Pass subscription right after the release. But Sony doesn’t want to do that with PS Plus Extra and Premium, and not in the future either. It’s different for smaller games like Stray, but the really big fish come later in the PS Plus Extra/Premium catalogue. There’s a good reason for that, as explained by Sony’s Head of PlayStation Indies, Shuhei Yoshida.
Sony gives reasons for missing Day 1 blockbuster releases
The new PS Plus offers a large selection of popular titles at the two higher subscription levels that you can play at no additional cost. It’s no coincidence that it’s reminiscent of the Xbox Game Pass, but it works fundamentally differently in one respect: Sony doesn’t bring the really big games to the people until later in this way. Behind this are the following ideas:
Sony believes in premium releases: Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida gives opposite Gamesindustry.biz on record that the company believes in the premium release of a title at launch. This means that the big titles are given a special spotlight and can only be bought individually for the time being.
Life cycle management: A while after the games have been launched, they can be published again in a different way – for example in a subscription service or on another platform. That’s why games like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War or Spider-Man only appear later on the PC.
“…and maybe after six months or three months or three years, when the game’s sales slow down, having it on the PS Plus Extra service can help introduce these games to a new, larger audience.”
As with movies: As a comparative example, Shuhei Yoshida cites films. They are usually first shown in the cinema, then appear some time later in a subscription, as a pay-per-view offer or on free TV and generate new sales each time. At the same time, the audience is expanded.
“Some people may have missed these games when they came out and it’s a great chance to play and generate word of mouth. Or if there’s DLC or a sequel, we can help build interest to increase the franchise to a larger audience.”
The same is true of God of War, which was recently released on PC and can also be played via PS Plus, ahead of the God of War Ragnarök exclusive and single no-subscription release later this year:
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God of War Ragnarök – Emotional Story Trailer from the State of Play in September 2022
More about PS Plus you can find out here:
If you want to know what the exact differences between the various PS Plus subscription levels are, we have prepared a little something for you here: All information about the tiers, games, prices and advantages of PS Plus, Premium and Extra can be found in our large GamePro overview.
Would you like big blockbuster titles to be released as part of the PS Plus Extra and Premium subscription and if not, why?
Reference-www.gamepro.de
