The answer is money. That’s how Sony releases games month-in and month-out as part of the PlayStation Plus program. The instant game collection feature that was launched in 2012 has been one of the smartest moves Sony has made this generation. It’s gotten people to second guess the competition by giving something of tangible value for subscribers to the service. The program has also set Sony up nicely for high adoption rates of the soon to be required service (for online multiplayer games) on the PS4.
Confirmed earlier this week, Sony has been paying developers and publishers to put their games on the service. While no numbers were disclosed in a report from Shack News, it’s been explained that Sony selectively chooses who and who not to include in the program. There’s no doubt that they’ve been spending heavily on the service, they’ve released some pretty high profile and recently released titles on PS Plus over the years.
But it’s not all about money. There’s also a strategy for developers and publishers who might be releasing a sequel, to use it to leverage the service for advertising and exposure.
PlayStation Plus will be required for online multiplayer games going forward on the PS4. With the company expecting a high adoption rate for the service, similar to Microsoft’s Xbox Live, Sony has already come out and said that they would be plowing the revenue back into the network to build out an improved online infrastructure. That additional cash could come into play in funding even higher profile releases on the PlayStation Plus network in the next-generation as well.
Fans who subscribe at launch will be treated to a free version of Drive Club, Sony’s online racer that is due to arrive with the console in November.
Published: Oct 4, 2013 07:47 am