PlayStation insists: not launching its Day 1 exclusives on PS Plus “that’s working”

While both PlayStation and Xbox offer two very attractive subscription services for gamers on their platforms, there is a notable difference between the two. Xbox Game Pass includes the exclusive releases of Microsoft’s ecosystem from day one, something Sony does not do with the games from its first-party studios in PlayStation Plus. And it is working for both companies, as the Japanese insist that they have no intention of changing this strategy for the time being.

“We’re happy with our strategy,” said Nick Maguire, Sony’s head of subscriptions. “Putting games in a bit later in the life cycle has meant that we can reach more customers 12, 18, 24 months after they have been released. We’re seeing customers still get excited about those games and jumping in. For us, that’s working.”

“Occasionally, there will be an opportunity to invest in a day-and-date like Stray and we will jump on those when they come in,” Maguire continues. “But for us, letting those [first-party] games go out to the platform outside the service first… that’s working and that will continue to be our strategy moving forward.”

The strategy now ... and in the future

Maguire is asked about whether this strategy could change in the future, but while he doesn’t rule anything out, at the moment it doesn’t look like it’s going to enter PlayStation’s plans.

“We are constantly working out what the right strategy is moving forward,” he explains. “How are player habits going to evolve and how do we make sure the service meets those future habits? No more I can say on that at the moment but obviously we are keeping close to it and thinking about the role that Plus can play moving forward.”

Meanwhile, yesterday the games that will be added to the PS Plus Premium and Extra catalog during the month of June were announced, and there are many good ones: Far Cry 6, Inscryption, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge...

Source | Games Industry