It seems somewhat fitting that the PS5 is releasing the same year that PS Plus is celebrating its 10th anniversary, as the service has seen some ups and downs but come out better for it. Right now, not much is known about the future of the service, but it’s clear that PS Plus is more important now than ever. As Sony prepares to transition from PS4 to PS5 with a focus on premium games on a premium console, Microsoft and the Xbox Series X is focused on other elements while still correcting the Xbox One reveal’s mistake of not focusing on games.
August is nearly over, with the consoles seemingly set to launch in November. The two continue to play chicken with price and release date, but outside that, they’re almost running in completely different circles. PS5 has titles like Godfall and Spider-Man: Miles Morales to help sell its consoles on day one, while the Xbox Series X’s biggest system sellers like Halo Infinite, Avowed, and Fable are increasingly far away. Yet the Series X is focused on making all of its first-party games and a lot of third-party ones too available on Game Pass, which is one of gaming’s best subscription services to date.
Comparing PS Plus may actually be more akin to Games with Gold, but that’s the thing: Microsoft doesn’t need Games with Gold, truly. Game Pass offers a huge selection of games for a solid price, so while PS Plus games are arguably better than Games with Gold, it doesn’t hold a candle to Game Pass. But that’s exactly why PS Plus is so important now for Sony as it transitions into the PS5, as while it looks to overhaul PS Plus and PS Now, that direction is going to be key.
PS Plus is not going anywhere anytime soon, and it is Sony’s powerhouse gaming service. Fall Guys‘ immediate popularity, for example, mimics the success of Rocket League‘s, which also launched on the service. And while not every month is equal (here’s looking at May’s PS Plus Games), fans are generally pleased. The thing is, PS Plus will have to change to adapt and compete, and find its future on the PS5.
There are many changes that PS Plus can make for PS5, but that’s only part of it. There are certain elements of PS Plus that are important for competition, but that’s only part of it. What PS5 needs from PS Plus is that brand recognition more than anything else, with every other change or element in service for that. The aforementioned of Fall Guys is proof of what the service can actually do.
Recent data proves how popular PS Plus has become, with more recent free games being downloaded than ever before. Keeping that momentum going on PS5 could translate to more players on PS5. Even when it drops the ball, one common repeated phrase is, “these are better than last month’s.” It hooks players in, it brings them back, and it keeps it going. Whether that’s third party games, first party games, or a pattern of releases (one big game, one niche game), it resonates with fans.
But it resonates with games as well. Rocket League shares a similar success story to Fall Guys due to its initial inclusion on PS Plus, with the brand recognition of the service putting a big emphasis on brand new games as they release. Doing more of this in the future seems like a clean-cut answer: it’s good for everyone involved. Fans may know it and may play it just because it’s on PS Plus, and then the next big game is born.
And in that way, in this type of brand recognition, Xbox Game Pass has superseded Games with Gold as the sub-brand worth investing in, worth pushing. There are games that players have downloaded to check out just because it’s on Game Pass, while Games with Gold may get ignored (and eventually phased out?). On the other hand, PS Plus finds itself competing more with Game Pass than Games with Gold in this alone, despite Game Pass being newer. Its shine and its offering brings in new subscribers, while the pedigree of PS Plus free games has seen it become increasingly popular, leading to more and more downloads, all due to name and status.
In short, while Sony is looking at how to make the most of its subscription-based services for next-gen, it shouldn’t be looking at another upstart as Microsoft has, it should look at the pedigree it already has.
PS Plus subscribers get two free games every month.
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