Subscription services have “a big effect on traditional sales” says Sony

While Sony has been a bit more apprehensive than Microsoft when it comes to going all-in on game subscription services, the company’s relatively new PlayStation Plus Extra tier has served as a great way to bring older first-party titles to more players. Unfortunately, according to Sony this has had a notable and “big effect” on traditional game sales.

Shared by ResetEra user ‘Macca’, as part of a presentation by Sony the console manufacturer revealed that their relatively recent strategy of bringing first-party titles to PlayStation Plus has negatively impacted sales of the included games, saying:

“It is very clear that inclusion into PS+ has had a big effect on traditional sales. The below graph shows the Daily Game Activations for HZD and HFW. In Year 1, HZD and HFW were very comparable. HFW was included into PS+ at the start of Year 2. HFW saw an enormous influx of PS+ players, but at the cost of flat-lining the Game Activations from Retail Sales.”

Of course, it is worth noting that other external factors have seemingly not been accounted for. Unlike with Horizon Forbidden West, Zero Dawn consistently went on sale offering rather deep discounts. Forbidden West meanwhile has remained much closer to its launch price.

That said, there is no denying that someone who completes a game through PS Plus is unlikely to then go and purchase that title separately. With Sony still leaning in on traditional game sales (unlike Microsoft), it will be interesting to see whether this analysis ends up affecting the company’s future plans for the service.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Sony’s statement? Do you think PS Plus has been worth it? Will Sony backtrack their decision to add games to PS Plus? Let us know down below.

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