With Team Xbox noting that they make more revenue through “compelling” live-service and subscriptions than selling consoles, it looks like Sony wants in on this “compelling” subscription fun by lowering PlayStation Now’s monthly fee.
According to blog.us.playstation.com, starting right now, PlayStation Now’s price is slashed down to a “more compelling price” that is comparable to “other entertainment streaming services on the market.” For those that are current customers, they will see this new pricing reflected in their next billing cycle.
Feeling that the blog post wasn’t enough, Sony released the following trailer to get the word out on PlayStation‘s official YouTube channel that 800 games and a lower monthly fee are now active:
“Mighty gods, intrepid fortune seekers, hardened criminals and iconic PlayStation heroes. You’ll find them all and hundreds more, ready to play on demand with PS Now. Subscribe today for a new lower price.
PS Now delivers unlimited access to a library of over 800 PS4, PS3, and PS2 games, all with one subscription. Stream directly to your PS4 or PC, and download PS4 & PS2 games to your PS4. Enjoy PlayStation exclusives, greatest hits, acclaimed masterpieces and games for the whole family.”
If you didn’t watch the video, monthly subscriptions are now available for $9.99, CAD 12.99, €9.99, £8.99, ¥1,180, and titles such as God of War, Grand Theft Auto V, inFAMOUS Second Son, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End are the first wave of “new content” — available for three months.
The full rundown on new PlayStation Now pricing sits below:
New Price For PlayStation Now
Region | 1 month | 3 months | 12 months |
---|---|---|---|
U.S | $9.99 | $24.99 | $59.99 |
Canada | $12.99 | $34.99 | $79.99 |
European Union | €9.99 | €24.99 | €59.99 |
UK | £8.99 | £22.99 | £49.99 |
Japan | ¥1,180 | ¥2,980 | ¥6,980 |
The older model for PlayStation Now pricing is also up for reference:
Old Price For PlayStation Now
Region | 1 month | 3 months | 12 months |
---|---|---|---|
U.S | $19.99 | $44.99 | $99.99 |
Canada | $19.99 | $44.99 | $99.99 |
European Union | €14.99 | N/A | €99.99 |
UK | £12.99 | N/A | £84.99 |
Japan | ¥2,500 | ¥5,900 | N/A |
Back in July of this year, we reported that Monthly active Xbox Live users have increased over the last year. As of June 30th, 2019, Xbox Live has 65 million monthly active users (MAUs), which is up from 2018’s 57 million.
Despite the decline of Xbox hardware sales, the increase of MAUs and Xbox Live subs are said to be better for business according to Xbox head Phil Spencer when talking to geekwire.com. In other words, Spencer believes that console sales aren’t the money-making thing that people believe them to be, but console live-service subscriptions are:
“That is not where you make money [selling consoles]. The business inside of games is really selling games, and selling access to games and content in means like that is the fundamental business. So if you open it up, the more often people can play, the more they’re enjoying the art form. It increases the size of the business.
Not all of those players are going to want to pay $60 to go play something that they haven’t heard of before, and I see that model as being something that can really help us as an industry grow.”
With the Xbox Team proud of their Xbox Game Pass subscription it looks like Sony wants in on a piece of the “compelling” pie. We’ll see how this price slash pans out for the company moving forward.