Sony Prioritises 'High-Caliber Games' for PS Plus Extra, Premium

So, do we think they’ll do a Microsoft and shovel a load of rubbish onto the basic tier (equivalent of games with gold) in order to make more expensive subscriptions look good?

I would also like some Day1 Indie Releases to make Playstation a bit more attractive for smaller Games again.

@thefourfoldroot1 One could argue that the PS+ lineup has been...divisive...for most months anyway.

Ah poor Mighty No 9. It wasn't that bad... Ok it was pretty bad, but it's not Balan Wonderland levels of bad.

Gone really quiet about this demo trials haven’t they?

Got a feeling as it didn’t get the developer excitement they thought it would they are going to go silent on it and eventually phase that out…

It makes sense to put the larger games on the service once their sales drop off, although Miles Morales continues to sell well and frequents the sales charts still. So I’m a little surprised at that one. Otherwise, most of these games have already achieved their potential at retail and this is an interesting tactic to undercut the used game market.

@itsfoz Huh? They've already been confirmed: https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2022/05/ps-plus-premiums-ps5-ps4-game-trials-have-trophies-and-save-data-carries-over

@IonMagi
The point being, now they have a higher price service they want people on, will they ensure the biggest games are on that, and the non-cycling games via the basic tier will drop significantly in quality, as happened when MS had the same choice to make.

They really need third party AAA games at release date on the service, or else people will just complain forever.

But hey, they deserve backlash on the PS1 list (is there even PS2 and PS3 games so far?) cause that retro selection is really barebones and not exciting at all

@PenguinLtd
Upgrade the duration I believe, for the price difference, you can’t decide to only upgrade 1 month from you remaining 10 months, or whatever.

@thefourfoldroot1
I disagree with your assessment. Having been subbed to NOW for many years its always had a decent line up of strong PS4 titles - and these have often reflected the very same titles on GP.

I like the expansion to the service, but I disagree that they will throw rubbish titles into it, far from it, they are committing to quality and have delivered quality to the service so far.

You are stating the exact opposite of what sony state and I know who I believe.

@somnambulance If you never played any of the Armored Core Games Left Alive issnt THAT bad. Not good, but still better than Balan or Might No 9

@Titntin
No, you misunderstand. I fully believe them when they say they’ll focus on high tier games for Extra and Premium, I just feel this will mean lower quality titles on the standard tier than there otherwise would have been (the same way that GwG titles dropped in quality when Gamepass released).

@LiamCroft ah yes, been a busy 24 hours so had completely forgotten this ha!

I take my comments back!

I might enjoy balan Wonderland now that it's free. I often enjoy at least a little bit, bad games. Speaking of, I hope ps3 Sacred 2 comes to the service. It was bad, with many glitches, but I put in at least 40 hours in that game.

Yokai Watch 4 being on the Asian list hurts man... Why!?

I really like platform games, so the inclusion, as bad as it is, of Balan is a nice surprise. It's a game I would never have bought. For me the only omission is Knack 2, I really liked the first one. Unless I missed it on the list.

Im still waiting, while there are some real classics on there (Toy Story 2 im looking at you) I already own it on my ps3/vita. Most of the bigger titles like AC Valhalla, Returnal, Spiderman,etc I own phsyically..

@Brydontk I blame 3ds Players for not giving the Series a chance but continuing to only buy Pokemon

Can we just let this breathe for minute. Everyone going nuts before its been rolled out everywhere. There was always going to be trash on these things, it bolsters the numbers at a low price.Microsoft has had years to perfect gamepass since launch, its like the first day for this.

I was really pessimistic about the service as it's clear hardcore fans would likely own most of the games the subscription offers, but it's not aimed at the core it's aimed at the casual mass market. Ps1 back compat with trophies is what's got the PS-pervs salivating! Pretty smart to please both types of fan

Does not matter what they do 1/3 of supposed gamers are going to cry and bitch about something and we all know it because they always thank there point is the only way to look at it ! The gaming community is turning in to a cesspool !

@thefourfoldroot1 Its worth noting the 360 game you get with Gold is yours to keep forever so even if Gold runs out the game is still yours. I think Plus is better then Gold but the free 360 game adds a lot of value for me.

When do the new PS+ tiers start in the UK? My regular PS+ sub is due to renew next week (30 May) and I may not renew it so I can try out one of the new higher tiers.

Not sold on it yet, but it will be interesting to see what games they add each month.

Only thing I’m slightly disappointed in is that it looks like Spider-Man Remastered for PS5 is still locked behind the Ultimate Edition of Miles. Would be nice if this was in New PS Plus.

Sony Prioritises 'High-Caliber Games' for PS Plus Extra, Premium

And some Ubisoft games too 😉

@WallyWest
I guess, but I doubt that makes much financial difference at this point to the cost of providing games for the subscription. They are 360 gen games after all.

@thefourfoldroot1
Sorry dude - you are right I did misinterpret your reply!

I hope not, I would like to think that normal tier titles will remain of similar quality to how they are now and not approach the awfulness of 'games with gold'. I have seen no plans for them to resort to giving us very old titles (PS1 or PS2) so its not gonna be like Xbox gold that way

Only time will tell of course, but I'm betting they are happy to make the basic tier still a compelling choice and I believe they can keep up the current quality with no big cost whilst still making a case for the more premium tiers. I certainly wouldn't expect a miles or returnal to be offered with the basic tier!

I liked the service before, these improvements are very welcome and I'm sure I'll like it even more. I hope you do too.

@Angelus3K I thought they updated it so you can buy it from within Miles Morales without having the ultimate edition. Crazy they still don't sell it directly in the store.

I wonder if they'll do third-party day and date releases on the higher tiers eventually. Remember, Shadow Warrior 3 released day and date on PS now not too long ago

It all sounds a bit of a faff really multiple tiers with different games, streaming options. At a guess they will check uptake and simplify things down the line with a basic plus and plus deluxe with all the other game options included. Can see little billy asking for a ps plus sub for Christmas and getting the essential when he wanted premium.

@Milktastrophe yea true but it’s still £20. Should be included in new PS Plus imo

@Danloaded

Thank you for using common sense. Expecting everything to be smooth at launch is unrealistic. People don't remember how PS Plus looked like at launch (it was horrific) yet it improved.

@Netret0120 @Danloaded why shouldn't it be fine at launch? If it was a brand new service I could understand but it's just an amalgamation of PS Plus and PS Now. Plus it's biggest issues such as locking people out of subscribing today and those with large bills to upgrade because of stacked subscriptions were easily avoidable

@Nightcrawler71 Sometime in June for UK. Third week I think off top of my head.

@carlos82

Because sadly this is modern gaming. You release first. Patch it later.

Gamepass wasn't smooth at launch. PS Plus wasn't. PS Now most certainly wasn't.

They are merging PS Plus and PS Now for I think over 50 million accounts that are subbed for the first time ever. There are going to be hiccups.

Lets judge the service in a few months once its been out for awhile

@IonMagi To be fair, Sony's Plus games have been divisive but they're not abhorrent with occasional decent games, mixed with offensive abuses of the word "free" and "game". Gold has definitely included "free" "games".....but nothing anyone would actually play....

@thefourfoldroot1 Yes, I think they'll do exactly that... It's not like it has far to fall. But the floor is lava...

@NEStalgia Yeah Gold is ass but at least you can keep all the Xbox 360 and OG Xbox Games they add. Even after your Sub runs out

My usual complaint! Just make online multiplayer free! I don't want to pay for mostly garbage games every month! I'm buying the ones I want! So far I got more quality titles on Epic Store all for free!

@Th3solution Your rationale only makes sense because this model didn't exist before. So people would buy games at launch instead of waiting for a 20-30% cut in price later down the line. It all changes now, since the decision will be between buying a game at launch or waiting a few months to get it for free. Emphasis on free.

For years, people have been trained to not buy games anymore on the Microsoft side, and now it's gonna happen to PlayStation. That means gaming revenue will decrease for Sony, which in turn will reflect in a perceivable reduction and quantity and quality of released games in the future. That's the downward spiral that subscription services will cause in the coming years.

The saddest thing is that Sony knows that, but they are having their hand forced by Microsoft. You can kinda feel that resignation underlying all the various announcements they've been putting out. That is always that element of uncertainty or the lack of commitment, excitement and hype.

@Art_Vandelay I mean, yeah that’s the concern— quality eventually eroding due to new game sales dropping because people just want to play everything for “free” on the service. And I share this concern and thought Xbox gamers never bought games anymore.
…Until Elden Ring happened.

@Th3solution There are always exceptions to the rule. And they only serve to show that the rule is solid. I mean, if no games sell on Xbox but for one or two titles, well.. The end result is not great financially and the risk to fund any new game is way too high.

And btw, do we know how many of those 13+ million copies of Elden Ring were sold on Xbox?

@Art_Vandelay Last I heard it was a pretty even split between all 3 ecosystems. Physical sold better on PS5, something like 70/30 split, but digital was the reverse, 70% on Xbox.

It probably is an exception, and not many 97 Metacritic scoring games drop very often. But it does seem to suggest high quality might sell no matter what. The games that will suffer from subscription services are probably the mid-tier games.

I’m not disagreeing with the concerns you have about services cultivating mediocrity. But I still feel like there is a potential positive element that the service will breathe a second life into games that no one is buying anyone. How much money is Sony really making off of Sackboy now? Or MediEvil? It’s a travesty Returnal and Demon’s Souls didn’t sell better and so maybe PS+ will help Sony get a little more profit from them.

I think GoW Ragnarok will be fine and sell plenty still. Even though it will be a year or two until it’s “free” on PS+ Extra. It will be the first real test for how willing people are to wait before they buy. HZD and GT7 were released before the PS+ service revamp was really unveiled. If Ragnarok sells like 5000 copies the opening week, then we’re in trouble. 😄 But I don’t think that’s going to happen.

@Th3solution Yeah, I see your point and there's definitely merit to it. But I would add two caveats:

This erosion we're talking about is not something that manifests clearly or suddenly. It is a process that may take years until we can look back and realize how deep we are in the crap pool. You know, the frog in the hot water kinda situation. So, Ragnarok can't really tell us much this early in the game.

Moreover, subscription services affect game genres in very different ways. Community-driven, "water-cooler games" with a strong multiplayer component like Elden Ring can really elicit FOMO in people, so they tend to be more resilient. But the traditional single-player action-adventure game that is Sony's bread and butter, well… it doesn't really make a difference if one plays it at launch or a few months down the road.

All in all, I can't shake the feeling that this recent obsession with live-service games that PlayStation has been showing has everything to do with the new subscription model. And that, by itself, is proof enough that much of the money that used to fund the Horizons, GOWs and TLOUs that we love is flowing somewhere else.

That is what I am worried about.

@Art_Vandelay Fair enough. It very well might be 3-5 years (standard AAA development cycle) before the full effects are felt. Many even longer. And by then who knows what the industry will be like the way global economies and technology turn on a dime these days.

What gives me hope is that if the movie / Netflix industry (and I know, I know, it’s apples-and-oranges to a degree) is any indication, then the subscription model will probably increase the sheer volume of mediocre content that we all have access to, but not necessarily at the expense of the huge blockbusters, which will still get early adopters money. Movie prices have sure gone up too, which is why I usually wait to see most movies until I can stream them on Netflix, HBO, or Amazon. So I expect higher priced games (which is already happening) But I’m not sure there is any fewer good movies that there were 20 yrs ago.

@Th3solution Oh, now you hit a nerve lol. I've been a film buff of sorts since a very early age (I'm 44 now). And I really, really think that the quality of movies, particularly of the blockbuster kind, has suffered tremendously over the last couple of decades.

I know, it's a highly subjective topic and not a direct comparison at all with games but, in my humble opinion, Netflix is the quintessential example of how damaging the subscription model can be to an art form. It's hard to describe, but contemporary movies lack weight and substance. Sure, there are still a few great movies every year, but they all pale in comparison with the greatest of old (Godfather, Matrix, The Lord of The Rings and so on).

Anyway, good talk. It's shocking how hard it is to have a mature and honest conversation on the internet these days.

Cheers.

@Art_Vandelay Haha, well said! I totally agree regarding internet discourse and appreciate your perspective. You should jump over to the forums here on Push Square. Mature and honest conversation is the rule rather than the exception over there and we have a whole thread discussing movies. (It’s probably one of the most active threads actually, and plenty of discussion of older films as well as new. Everything from Apocalypse Now to Dr. Strange). Would love to hear some of your takes on your favorite shows. No pressure, but feel free. We have some real cinephiles over there. See you there or on the next article! 😄

@Th3solution Nice! Thanks for the tip. Not sure I have the bandwidth right now, but I'll consider it wholeheartedly. See you around, mate.