Sony to Stop Disclosing PlayStation Plus Subscriber Numbers, Focusing Instead on Improving the Service
PlayStation Plus has been dominating the game subscription service market for quite some time (in terms of the number of subscribers). However, things took a shift after Sony decided to completely revamp PlayStation Plus in March 2022.
Right after the new PlayStation Plus came into effect, Sony’s quarterly financial report (for the period between June and September 2022) disclosed that the service had lost 4% of its subscribers, dropping to 45.4 million from 47.3 million in the previous quarter. That’s a loss of nearly 2 million subscribers, which clearly shows that things weren’t looking good for the service.
However, as per the latest data, the numbers bounced back and PlayStation Plus subscribers reached 47.4 million at the end of March 2023. This shows growth, but not as exponential as Sony would have expected after the revamp. The slow growth could be the reason why Sony has ultimately decided not to disclose the PlayStation Plus subscriber numbers anymore.
In its latest quarterly financial report for the first quarter of FY23, Sony didn’t update the numbers of PlayStation Plus Subscribers. This decision definitely aroused curiosity among the community. However, Sony gave a reason for this decision in its recent earnings call. Sony said they have decided to stop disclosing PlayStation Plus subscriber numbers at their financial results briefings.
They said they are looking at ways to continue making PS+ grow and be more attractive. They want to expand the PS+ business and promote the shift to Extra and Premium tiers by increasing the appeal of the service. Instead, they will start releasing software sales in yen of software on platforms other than PlayStation consoles, including PC (“Other Software”).
It seems Sony is planning the future of PlayStation Plus to make it more enticing and provide more value for money for the users, similar to Xbox Game Pass. It’s a fact that Sony’s PlayStation Plus is the most dominant in terms of subscribers, but there’s no denying that Xbox Game Pass offers the most value for money.
Every Xbox first-party game is a day-one release on Game Pass, and even the highly anticipated AAA RPG, Starfield is going to be available on day one on the subscription service, unlike Sony, which still doesn’t release its first-party AAA titles day one on its proprietary subscription service, PlayStation Plus.
Only time can tell what Sony is planning for PlayStation Plus and what the future holds for the subscription service. What are your thoughts about this news? Let’s discuss this in the comments section below.
