Today, Sony announced some pretty big changes to its PlayStation Now streaming service. Most notably, the pricing model has undergone a shift, considerably lowering the cost. For instance, as of October 1st, the monthly payment now sits at $9.99, as opposed to the original $19.99. In addition four titles have been added to the service, each of them blockbusters in their own right. They include: God of War, Grand Theft Auto V, Infamous Second Son, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Access to these titles start October 1st and will end on January 1, 2020.
A post on the PlayStation Blog breaks down the new pricing model as follows:
- US: $9.99 – monthly / $24.99 – quarterly / $59.99 – yearly (from $19.99/ $44.99/ $99.99)
- CAN: $12.99 – monthly / $34.99 – quarterly / $79.99 – yearly (from $19.99/ $44.99/ $99.99)
- EU: €9.99 – monthly / €24.99 – quarterly/ €59.99 – yearly (from €14.99/ (N/A)/ €99.99)
- UK: £8.99 – monthly / £22.99 – quarterly/ £49.99 – yearly (from £12.99 / (N/A) / £84.99)
- JP: ¥1,180 – monthly / ¥2,980 – quarterly / ¥6,980 yearly (from ¥2,500 / ¥5,900 / (NA)
According to NPD analyst Mat Piscatella, the new range of prices seems like a “big bet” on Sony’s part. Apparently, the drop in yearly pricing means PS Now’s user base will need to see a 60 percent increase to “maintain similar revenue.” Such an increase will indeed be trying, as Sony reports that PS Now currently “covers 19 territories and 70% of our PS4 user base.” See Piscatella’s Twitter post on the matter in the link below:
Lowering the annual price from $99.99 to $59.99 will require user base to increase by over 60% to maintain similar rev, more to grow. Big bet here, the battle for the next decade has begun. – PSNow Subs; GTA V, God of War, More Blockbuster Games Added https://t.co/1aGfnavmiG
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) October 1, 2019
One of Sony’s first steps in garnering a larger audience is in the launch of the service’s first TV spot. Check it out in the following video:
PlayStation 4 players who already have subscriptions need not worry about these changes. The price alterations for yearly subscriptions will be reflected in the next billing cycle.
[Source: PlayStation Blog [1], [2], Mat Piscatella on Twitter]
