Whether you're a lifetime subscriber or not, PlayStation Plus changed the game for the PlayStation 3 at the tail-end of the previous generation. The service – alongside late exclusives like The Last of Us and Puppeteer – helped pave the way for the positivity that Sony leveraged for the launch of the PlayStation 4; it offered outstanding value for money, doling out dozens of big budget blockbuster games on a monthly basis.

But the service that so many held in high regard seems to have taken its foot off the gas of late. Your subscription was still worth over a $1,000 in both 2014 and 2015, but there's now an acceptance – with the influx of smaller digital games – that the Instant Game Collection will disappoint; the days of universal enthusiasm surrounding the service are long gone. And with competing brands beginning to bridge the gap, exactly what's gone wrong with the ground breaking membership model?

PlayStation Plus PS4 PlayStation 4 PS3 Vita 1

Victim of its own success

One important thing to remember is that PlayStation Plus was entirely optional on the PlayStation 3 and Vita. This means that, in spite of the positivity surrounding the service, the subscriber numbers were likely very low prior to the launch of the PS4. We don't have the figures to hand, but we'd hazard that there were probably no more than one to two million subscribers in early 2013 – a figure that we know has increased significantly since.

Sony last revealed numbers in October 2014, when it announced that it had amassed 7.9 million subscribers on an install base of 13.5 million PS4 consoles. Because the service is practically mandatory on the new-gen format, we're certain that the membership metrics will have increased alongside the system's install base – and with over 35 million machines now in homes, there are potentially 25 million PlayStation Plus subscribers in the wild these days.

PlayStation Plus is now practically mandatory, which is sure to have had an impact

This changes things immensely. Not only does it mean that Sony, who buys all of the Instant Game Collection titles in bulk, will be paying ungodly amounts of money to developers in order to secure them, but the bigger publishers may be less willing to play ball – especially when it comes to major "retail" games that may still be selling reasonably well in retail outlets and, of course, on the PlayStation Store.

For example, when Rockstar gave away Red Dead Redemption on the PS3, it was only handing out copies to a very small slice of the system's install base – potentially one to two million people, as estimated above. This, presumably, increased the word of mouth surrounding the game, coaxing the many millions of non-subscribers to consider purchasing it. But if the same scenario were to repeat on the PS4, then the pub would be hypothetically handing out the game to 25 million members.

Suddenly, the scenario doesn't make sense. Yes, it may see an increase in DLC sales, but it would be killing its retail and digital presence dead; there'd be some people who wouldn't claim their free copy, of course, and new console owners are joining the ecosystem all of the time – but handing out a blockbuster to almost the entirety of the PS4's active install base simply doesn't make sense. The service may be a victim of its own success.

Knack PS4 PlayStation 4 1

But it is still early in the generation

Having said that, it's important to remember that PlayStation Plus was at its best on the PS3 in late 2012 and early 2013 – a whopping seven years after the launch of the console. The PS4, in its defence, has only just celebrated its second birthday, so it's not like there are a long line of blockbuster games in its library that Sony could realistically give away. Even launch exclusives like Knack and Killzone: Shadow Fall are, bizarrely, enjoying something of a resurgence right now in the UK sales charts, so the above points come into focus yet again.

One way the platform holder's trying to get around this is by looking forwards instead of backwards; it's given away several brand new digital games of late, as opposed to ones in its archive. And while many may be tired of sprite-based platformers like Broforce, there's an advantage to handing out these fresh arrivals: there's no chance of anyone getting a title that they already own, smaller developers avoid all risk by guaranteeing some income on launch day, and – in the case of really great games like Rocket League – there's an opportunity to reach the kind of install base capable of transforming a release into the next big thing.

PlayStation Plus PS4 PlayStation 4 Vita PS3 1

What's the solution, then?

It's quite easy to pick out the problems with PlayStation Plus: consumers are dissatisfied with the calibre of games being given away, but Sony's options may be limited by the politics surrounding its gigantic install base. What's more challenging, however, is trying to come up with a water-tight solution that makes sense for everyone. And, if we're brutally honest with you, it's something that we're not entirely sure can be solved.

We're not sure PlayStation Plus' problems can be solved in a manner that will please all parties

The one thing that we'd change immediately is to ditch support for the PS3 and Vita; we have to imagine that the vast majority of members only care about the PS4 giveaways these days, and with Sony failing to offer a solution to backward compatibility on its new-gen console, the last-gen games don't really make sense anymore. But would you accept less games if it meant that resources could be invested into securing bigger names? It's a tricky one.

Sony must be scratching its head. PlayStation Plus invented the standard by which all console subscription services will always be judged, but it may be that the platform holder has set the bar too high. As a lifetime member, this author remembers when it was all Mega Drive games and free themes, so the service has certainly been in a much, much worse state. That said, if the manufacturer's going to remain on top, then it needs to come up with a solution to the membership model's woes – and fast.

What do you think's gone wrong with PlayStation Plus? How can Sony solve the problems that we've identified? What would make you a happy subscriber again? Do the maths in the comments section below.

How would you rate PlayStation Plus in its current state? (227 votes)

  1. Very good4%
  2. Good22%
  3. Meh42%
  4. Poor20%
  5. Very poor12%

Please login to vote in this poll.