Sony officially announces the introduction of the renewed game subscription service “PlayStation Plus”Announced.The new service, called PlayStation Plus, combines Sony’s two current subscription services, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now, into one. PlayStation Plus is seen as a rival to Microsoft’s popular subscription service, the Xbox Game Pass.
PlayStation Plus will be available in June, debuting in several Asian countries and then expanding to North America, Europe and other regions. The specific launch date is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The new subscription service consists of three plans. The cheapest one is called “PlayStation Plus Essential” and comes with the same benefits as current PlayStation Plus members, including two monthly games to download, subscriber-only discounts, cloud storage of saved games, and access to online multiplayer. come. The price of PlayStation Plus Essential is the same as the current price of PlayStation Plus, which is $ 9.99 a month (850 yen including tax in Japan), 24.99 dollars (2150 yen) for 3 months, and 59.99 dollars a year (5143 yen). In Europe, it will be 8.99 euros a month, 24.99 euros for 3 months and 59.99 euros a year.
Next, an intermediate plan called “PlayStation Plus Extra” comes with the same benefits as Essential, but includes a selection of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games. Extra games can be downloaded for online play. Extra costs $ 14.99 a month (¥ 1300), $ 39.99 for three months (¥ 3600), and $ 99.99 a year (¥ 8600). In Europe, it will be 13.99 euros a month, 39.99 euros for 3 months and 99.99 euros a year.
And the top-level plan is called “PlayStation Plus Premium,” which gives you access to all the services included in Essential and Extra, as well as 340 games, including PS3 titles that can be streamed over the cloud. Classic games, including the original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP games, are also available for both streaming and download. It also offers a game trial with a limited play time, so customers can try some games before making a purchase. The premium service costs $ 17.99 a month (¥ 1550), $ 49.99 for three months (¥ 4,300), and $ 119.99 a year (¥ 10,250). In Europe, it will be 16.99 euros a month, 49.99 euros for 3 months and 119.99 euros a year.
All-new PlayStation Plus launches in June with three flexible membership options.
First details: https://t.co/2KXcEp7XWs pic.twitter.com/jAU9Do3CfE
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 29, 2022
Sony plans to offer games such as “DEATH STRANDING,” “God of War,” “Marvel’s Spider-Man,” “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales,” and “Returnal” at the start of the service. There are no plans to provide all PlayStation games that will be released in the future on the service start date.
“The new Extra and Premium for PlayStation Plus symbolize a major evolution of PlayStation Plus.” Said Jim Ryan, CEO of PlayStation, in a statement. “With these services, it is important to ensure that the hundreds of games we offer include the highest quality content that sets us apart. The imagination of PlayStation Studios and third-party partners. We work closely with a plethora of developers to deliver the best gaming experience through our regularly updated library. We’ll keep you updated on the details of the games offered by the new PlayStation Plus service at a later date. “
Prior to today’s news, there were months of speculation that Sony was trying to revamp its game subscription service against Microsoft’s popular Xbox Game Pass. MicrosoftActivision BlizzardorBethesdaIt has invested a huge amount of money in Game Pass, such as acquiring big game publishers such as 68.7 billion dollars (about 8.43 trillion yen) and 7.4 billion dollars (about 90.8 billion yen) respectively.
According to Sony, when the new PlayStation Plus service is launched, PlayStation Now will move to the new PlayStation Plus service and will no longer be offered as a standalone service. Those who are using PlayStation Now will move to PlayStation Plus Premium without raising the current usage fee when the new service starts.
Image credit: Sony
(Sentence: Aisha Malik, Translation:Nariko Mizoguchi）