Sony has announced a revamp of its PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now services which are now being merged into one, and will ultimately be called PlayStation Plus subscription service that provides more choice to customers across three membership tiers globally. At launch, Sony plans to include titles such as Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal.
PlayStation Plus 3-tier Subscription Model
Under the three tier service, the first tier is identical to the current subscription. It includes benefits such as two monthly downloadable games, exclusive discounts, Cloud Storage for saved games and online multiplayer access. The pricing for this tier is $10 (approx Rs 758) monthly, $25 (approx Rs 1,800) quarterly, and $60 (approx Rs 4,500) yearly. All existing PlayStation Plus users will be migrated to this tier.
In the second tier, you get access to all the benefits of Tier 1, plus there’s a catalog of up to 400 of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games – including blockbuster hits from PlayStation Studios catalog and third-party partners. Games in the Extra tier are also downloadable for play. The pricing for this tier is $14.99 (approx Rs 1,100) monthly, $39.99 (approx Rs 3,000) quarterly, and $99.99 (approx Rs 7,500) yearly.
Read More: Sony WH-XB910N wireless headphones with ANC launched in India
The third tier is the most expensive one which costs $17.99 (approx Rs 1,300) monthly, $49.99 (approx Rs 3,800) quarterly and $119.99 (approx Rs 9,100) yearly. It also gets you the most benefits including all those from Tier 1 & 2, plus up to 340 additional games including PS3 games available via cloud streaming and a catalog of beloved classic games available in both streaming and download options from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations.
Sony says that time-limited game trials will also be offered in third tier, so customers can try select games before they buy. Moreover, it will offer cloud streaming access for original PlayStation, PS2, PSP and PS4 games offered in tier 1 & 2, in markets where PlayStation Now is currently available. Customers can stream games using PS4 and PS5 consoles, and PC.
Lastly, for markets without cloud streaming, PlayStation Plus Deluxe will be offered at a lower price compared to Premium (tier 3), and includes a catalog of classic games from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations to download and play, along with time-limited game trials. Benefits from Essential (tier 1) and Extra (tier2) tiers are also included. Local pricing will vary by market according to the company.
Rollout Plan
As for the Rollout plan, Sony is rolling out the new PlayStation Plus offering in a phased regional approach. In the June timeframe, it will begin with an initial launch in several markets in Asia, followed by North America, Europe and the rest of the world where PlayStation Plus is offered.
It aims to have most PlayStation Network territories live with the new PlayStation Plus game subscription service by the end of the first half of 2022. It also plans to expand the cloud streaming benefit to additional markets, and will provide more details when the service is closer to launch.