PSN tops 100 million users ahead of Sony's PS Plus Premium rollout
It might be Games Pass that makes the most headlines, but Sony's PlayStation Network isn't shirking its money-making duties.
In a world where people can't help but compare Xbox to PlayStation, PSN to Xbox Live, Game Pass to whatever PS Plus Premium will end up being, it's hard to stay objective about the numbers. But, per a new report from the PlayStation parent company, it's fair to say that Sony is, indeed, raking it in.
In the latest corperate strategy meeting presentation, Sony announced that the PlayStation Network currently generates a frankly eye-watering ¥1,833.8 billion (that's over $14 billion) in sales per year. That number is up ¥800 billion (or $6.27 billion) from 2021.
The company noted that over 100 million monthly active users contribute to this staggering number, as Kenichiro Yoshida – CEO of Sony Group – extols the virtues of having a loyal consumer base attached to a monthly subscription service.
And that benefit is only liable to become more obvious as PlayStation rolls out its newly-refreshed PS Plus tiers in the coming months. Sony's announcement that PS Plus will be split into three tiers going forward was made back in March. As we see the future – split between PS Plus Essential, PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium – take shape, it stands to reason that Sony is only going to get more confident in its subscription services.
And why not? Sony, of course, announced plans to purchase Destiny developer Bungie in an earth-shaking $3.6 billion deal back in February 2022. It's clear Sony is targeting multi-platform, subscription-based models for its future. Given that Sony has also noted it will "continue to look at the right times" to bring PlayStation exclusives to PC, it stands to reason we could even see PS Plus services extend beyond the Playstation hardware, at some point.
Former Sony staff have been critical of Xbox's focus on subscription models before; former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden said in 2021 that Game Pass can't sustain $120M games until it has 500M subscribers. With Sony at only a fifth of that suggested number on PSN, can PlayStation support its plans with the revamped PS Plus in the years to come? It remains to be seen.
Either way, ahead of the launch of PS Plus Premium, it's undeniable that it's been a good year for Sony. Let's see if that continues into 2023.
Thanks, Exputer.