PlayStation Plus was first launched in 2010 primarily as a way for Sony to get revenue from their PlayStation Network. The service soon became a success as it offered free games, discounts and a variety of other deals as long as you kept the subscription. It was a surprisingly successful consequence of backing themselves into a corner (which was not charging for the use of the PlayStation Network but needing people to pay for it). It then came as a bit of a shock, which in hindsight probably shouldn’t have been, that Sony made the PlayStation Plus compulsory on the PS4. An analyst, reported in 2013, suggested that Sony could make $1.2 Billion from making the service compulsory (reporting Sony made $140 million in 2012 of Plus) [1]. The introduction of PlayStation Plus and the move to make it compulsory on the PS4 forced Microsoft’s hand when it came to their service Xbox Live. Their Games with Gold service first offered free games as a way of one upping PlayStation Plus. The move was met with mixed responses [2][3] since publishers were not whiling to give their games away for free for ever. Microsoft changed tactic by going with the PlayStation Plus model. This move has meant the games have improved in quality [4]. The rise in these services has meant publishers want a piece of the pie and EA has made the first move with EA Access. I have expressed my opinions on how this move could be a disaster for the industry [5] and this isn’t the point of this blog. Sony is in a position to do something they should have done a long time ago. Something Microsoft and third parties will struggle to implement and see the benefit of. Sony needs to broaden PlayStation Plus to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.
Sony has a lot of non-gaming products and services they could bring into plus. One of their biggest products that could benefit from appearing on PlayStation Plus is their film and TV. Sony distributes a large quantity of films and TV shows. Sony Pictures has distributing over 20 films so far this year [6]. This is even when we ignore other studios owned by Sony and their TV show business [7]. This could benefit Sony at the other end if done at the right time. Sony could release the first film with its sequel coming out a short time later or release part of a TV series just to encourage the consumer to buy the complete series. There are potential benefits that Sony could receive above encouraging non gamers to sign up to PlayStation Plus.
There is a major downside to allowing these products on PlayStation Plus as the process getting them there may be trickier than it appears. The problem arises with multi company partnerships that help produce a film or TV share might get in the way of giving films and TV shows away for free. Broadcasting/distribution rights might always cause chaos and a long term commitment Sony many not want to get into with PlayStation Plus (something I will touch on later). But the rising star that is Netflix has managed to circumvent said issues while maintaining profit and popularity [8]. A lot of Netflix’s cost is down to paying other studios for content [9][10] which is something Sony would entirely have to do since they are a part of that process.
The benefit of TV shows and films appearing on PlayStation Plus is one thing but Sony could benefit more from another big division of theirs which comes with very little strings attached. That is their music division. Sony is highly regarded in the music industry and they are a big player in the industry [11][12][13][14]. The benefit to offering free music via PlayStation Plus is PR that could have a monetary benefit. The idea to give out part of an album or a track from an upcoming album could do wonders for publicity. Giving away tracks via PlayStation Plus could be used as a way to push Music Unlimited. The latest total number of users figure I could find for music unlimited was one million users back in January 2012 [15] when it had 15 million tracks. All Sony has to do is make these tracks available through the Music Unlimited/Walkman app (the latter of which is a lot better) with no subscription cost but have the other tracks on that specific album there to encourage users to buy into the service.
Overall getting PlayStation users on board is one thing but Sony needs to use PlayStation Plus to get non PlayStation Owners to buy more PlayStations which could be done via giving away free tracks and films could be a fairly cost effective advertisement avenue no other company is doing. The fear I have is the only reasons Sony hasn’t already made such a move is because they will eventually move film, TV and music services under the PlayStation Now roof. PlayStation Now is a game streaming service which has been met with a lot of mixed opinions nearly all relating to its price [16]. Currently it is in the beta stages but the potential is there to shift how we play our back catalogue and how people approach the micro console climate. Presently the services is being stunted by a lack of a reasonable subscription model and I feel, even with a subscription model, the price would be too huge (for the move I previously just said) unless they introduce bolt on style services. All of Sony’s subscription services could be managed in a bolt on style model with PlayStation Plus being less about allowing users to play PlayStation 4 games online and more about being the discount/freebie service it was originally designed to be. It could be used as a low cost PR move where people are encouraged to buy into the service which in turn could encourage users to buy into other Sony products hence creating a more connected ecosystem (which is clearly something Sony wants to do as the PlayStation TV is coming out in August and with PlayStation Now being shown off at CES)
Sources:
[1] http://www.forbes.com/sites...
[2] http://www.gamezone.com/ori...
[3] http://www.gamesradar.com/g...
[4] http://news.xbox.com/2014/0...
[5] http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
[6] http://www.boxofficemojo.co...
[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
[8] http://www.wikinvest.com/st...
[9] http://www.wired.com/2014/0...
[10] http://www.thewire.com/tech...
[11] http://wallstcheatsheet.com...
[12] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/b...
[13] http://www.sonymusic.com/la...
[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
[15] http://www.hypebot.com/hype...
[16] http://kotaku.com/playstati...
Dear team,
Xbox has always been different.
We started with a simple idea. Games should bring people together through shared experiences. That led to the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox Live in 2002, and new ways to connect, from friends lists and achievements to parties and play across devices. Today, Xbox reaches over 500 million players around the world, with some of the most important franchises in entertainment.
re-evaluating exclusivity 💀
PS players will need to go back to pretending to dislike Xbox games
Or meaning since it’s doing so good they might just do everything day 1.
They didnt say re-evaluating their multiplatform approach.
🤣🤣🤣 Xbox is so dead. I know you scared🤣🫵ӿ 97;
Even when the topic is strictly Xbox he can't stop talking about PlayStation. Xbox has basically become the hate of PlayStation... and not much else.
Hurt over video games 🤣🤣
Lmao we all grew and got jobs but apparently you stayed home broke 🤣🤣.
Man I love loyal dogs like you. MS kicked Spit and slapped you around but you still come back on all 4s.
Good little boy 🤣🤣
My only question is what games are PlayStation gamers gonna play now? They don’t really come out with new games anymore. I’m looking forward to wolverine, but after that then what?
Lmao
There’s no way after everything it’s going back, the damage is done
What you are seeing now is the new management telling what the core fanbase (aka…you) want to hear so they are pumped full of hope and are more likely to invest in the next Xbox console
When Phil took over after the awful Xbox One reveal he did the same thing, he told people what they wanted to hear for damage control.
It’s crazy people are getting suckered into this again.
And you'll now go back to again thinking exclusives suddenly matter, that multiplatform is no longer the future, or that revenue from multiplatforms doesn't matter, like all you flop flopping xbox grifters lol.
The whole post just sounds like the previous phil corpo slop talk to me, whole thing reads like a nothing burger lol.
“re-evaluating exclusivity”
She also said this.
“The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”
I don't know if they have a model anymore it's flipped so many times since the xbox one reveal
There's a bunch just like him but that's what happens when some rely on dreams, hope and wishful thinking. lol
"pretending"? Bro gears hasnt broke 1mil on ps5, and starfield hasn't passed 200k, Hellblade 2 was even stated to be a financial disappointment in sales on its own console, let alone ps5. Im not saying people don't like them, but they certainly aren't setting the community on fire, Forza may be different tho
Xbawx is ''re-evaluating exclusivity''... Translation: After throwing all sort of crap to the wall to see if something sticks but clearly nothing worked, we, including our lord ''in charge'' Phil came to the conclusion that exclusives indeed do matter so please forget if we ever said otherwise.
Yup, I feel it in my gut, next gen belongs to xbox, PS6 is cooked...
Someone can’t sleep after those 5 million forza games PURCHASED by PlayStation owners🤣 🧌 💥
If they go back to exclusive games it at least shows that they are finally getting it. They would be turning down immediate money for something that will potentially workout in the long term.
Only issue is they've already opened Pandora's box. A lot of their base has moved to PC or jumped to PS. So will be a long road to get back on track.
We have been saying this from day one exclusives are a must if you are going to be selling hardware look at Nintendo and Sony before Jim Ryan. That's the proven formula. You had some that were deluded and blinded by loyalty accepting that multiplat was the future and that MS was merely getting ahead of where the industry was headed, but at least they can finally see the light and agree with what everyone has been saying for a decade+
True, blame it on the rabid fanboys. MS can do no wrong and spinner this multiplatform move. While the actual fans moved on.
I feel like with the new Xbox coming they are hoping to bring back those old fans and then if it goes well. Bring back exclusives.
If the new console is performing like series x and one. Naw they staying multiplatform.
Funny world where Sony is pro consumer and Xbox is not? At least according to what you loyalists have been saying all this time 🤭
@itveds For how many years have you been doing this sad stuff? For how many years have you been creating fake accounts to troll? For how many years have you always been cl vnn
Pathetic incels with nothing better to do than argue over a box... Because they don't have any good games to play on theirs, obviously. If your precious box is so special, why don't you shut the fuck up and go play it?
I think it's too late, xbox sales were diving even before ABK, they got even worse since then even long before the full multiplatform push. I'd be surprised if they even went back to timed exclusivity at this point, Helix is basically a PC and is going to be expensive, they already struggle to sell cheaper xbox consoles, it will be low volume and they'll have a very small 'console' base to sell to, which has already been conditioned to just play via gamepass anyway.
I don't see them removing PC from the equation. Considering MS has a heavy enough investment in the PC market, it would be foolish to abandon them. I could see them taking away games from PlayStation or ensuring they are timed exclusives at the very least. Say what you will but if Call of Duty ends up becoming a timed exclusive to Xbox machines, that would hurt PlayStation, don't pretend like those games don't sell millions.
Their lifeline of solely the Xbox consoles is dry. Good-Great games on a 1st party scale can't be made at a loss so willingly - sent to the Xbox to only sell limited copies.
They invested billions scooping up studios and need to start making returns.
Sucks that nearly every company is publicly traded and have to be so shareholder biased but that's how it is.
Their words are strong but it'll take time to see what their actions accomplish. Lowering the cost of Game Pass and taking CoD off of it was a good clear start.
Despite all of that, it's clear that Microsoft's Xbox division is broken beyond repair.
PlayStation is currently draining money on flop after flop. It's Sony that needs to re-evaluate their strategy
Wonder how much money was lost on perfect dark, hellbalde 2, 300 million lost revenue
by putting cod on gamepass. The recent Jason schrier news that Xbox has cancelled dozens of projects, spent 70 billion just to see Xbox sales further collapse and gamepass see little growth.
The fact is this has been PlayStation's most profitable generation and they are making loads of money and selling plenty of consoles and games. While MS won't give you any sales figures or profit numbers for Xbox, says it all really.
It isnt. But I dont think they mean in 'games', rather, footprint.
They own the OS but as far as gaming is concerned, Steam dominate. I imagine the VAST majority of people who use the Xbox app/launcher are PC gamepass subs. No ones buying their 3rd party PC games through Xbox PC.
Insider Gaming writes: "Marathon was one of the best-selling video games in March 2026 in the United States. On Wednesday, Circna released the best-selling games of the month, and it featured six new releases along with two games returning to the top 20 after previously falling out."
Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
well it's not on Switch / Switch 2.. so their number would be zero.
The game had a decent launch however the userbase numbers are dwindling on Steam.
“ Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
Does it hurt you to hear a SONY game was BEST selling ?
You gotta let go of those OBCURED feelings 🤷🏿
I mean the only reason MLB was the best selling title was because it was multi-platform. Likewise with Marathon. Will ring true for MS games. Only Nintendo titles are truly flexing their muscles when they chart as they are only to be found there.
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
Yeah sure, yet the player count is no where near what they want for a AAA game with so much money behind it
Why people are trying to spin this game like it’s done overly amazing is baffling to me.
It won’t even be a blip on peoples radars by the end of the year .
You must me typically wrong cuz those Steam chart numbers (AKA where the game sold the MOST) is less than what Hunt has, and Hunt didn't cost $500 million to make lol
The release on Steam of the anime-style gacha-less open-world RPG DragonSword: Awakening is facing a legal challenge from its gacha publisher.
The whole point of Plus is to offer something gamers. Adding non-gaming related things makes no sense, unless they introduce separate tiers, set up a Netflix-like option that gives a certain number of "free" streaming movies per month, which means or boils down to increasing the price of Plus. So again, no.
I think if Sony is going to try and make the PS brand more appealing to non and semi-gamers, its going to be with PS TV and the TV studio arm they're trying out.
If they can get cable channels on board with ala carte servicing, let people dump the current "everything including junk channels" cable system, give people cable bills which include HBO but be under $100, that would be exactly the thing.
Just to clarify, PS Plus is only compulsory for online play. Apart from that nice blog.
I know at E3 they mentioned some cartoon being free for plus members to watch (forgot the name) which is a start towards "other" options.
I have plus for gaming only however yes I am open to other avenues for moments I have college projects to work on and I need some sort of back ground noise outside gaming. What Sony could do is have a service like plus but for media, or offer an option to integrate media into plus for those who want more than just gaming and let the fanbase decide what they want.
Offer their music unlimited as part of the plus service, or at least a version similar to the free version of spotify.
Also, possibly change how they supply the igc instead of saying you will be getting crysis 3, fez, road to nowhere etc, maybe have those but then throw in 3-6 other titles and start an end of month voting process to allow us to choose from a selection of titles.
Imagine the first big game in plus for ps4, a vote between killzone and infamous for the next months igc.
very informative and well written. i think ps+ has shown how well a service can work if it is build around the needs and wants of a community.