PlayStation has officially announced the long-rumored new PlayStation Plus, the new service will launch in June with three flexible membership options. ** Sony's new PlayStation Plus service aims to combine PS+ & PS Now into one servic**e, adding additional value through a tiered approach PS+ & PS Now were previously $120 a year. The highest tier of the new service is also $120 a year w/ additional perks

Here are all the new services announced (details from the blogpost):

PlayStation Plus Essential​

• Benefits:
  • Provides the same benefits that PlayStation Plus members are getting today, such as:
    • Two monthly downloadable games
    • Exclusive discounts
    • Cloud storage for saved games
    • Online multiplayer access
• There are no changes for existing PlayStation Plus members in this tier.
• Price: PlayStation Plus Essential remains the same as the current price for PlayStation Plus.
  • United States
    • $9.99 monthly / $24.99 quarterly / $59.99 yearly
  • Europe
    • €8.99 monthly / €24.99 quarterly / €59.99 yearly
  • United Kingdom
    • £6.99 monthly / £19.99 quarterly / £49.99 yearly
  • Japan
    • ¥850 monthly / ¥2,150 quarterly / ¥5,143 yearly

PlayStation Plus Extra​

• Benefits:
  • Provides all the benefits from the Essential tier
  • Adds a catalog of up to 400* of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games – including blockbuster hits from our PlayStation Studios catalog and third-party partners. Games in the Extra tier are downloadable for play.
• Price*:
  • United States
    • $14.99 monthly / $39.99 quarterly / $99.99 yearly
  • Europe
    • €13.99 monthly / €39.99 quarterly / €99.99 yearly
  • United Kingdom
    • £10.99 monthly / £31.99 quarterly / £83.99 yearly
  • Japan
    • ¥1,300 monthly / ¥3,600 quarterly / ¥8,600 yearly

PlayStation Plus Premium**​

• Benefits:
  • Provides all the benefits from Essential and Extra tiers
  • Adds up to 340* additional games, including:
    • PS3 games available via cloud streaming
    • A catalog of beloved classic games available in both streaming and download options from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations
  • Offers cloud streaming access for original PlayStation, PS2, PSP and PS4 games offered in the Extra and Premium tiers in markets where PlayStation Now is currently available. Customers can stream games using PS4 and PS5 consoles, and PC.
  • Time-limited game trials will also be offered in this tier, so customers can try select games before they buy.
• Price:
  • United States
    • $17.99 monthly / $49.99 quarterly / $119.99 yearly
  • Europe
    • €16.99 monthly / €49.99 quarterly / €119.99 yearly
  • United Kingdom
    • £13.49 monthly / £39.99 quarterly / £99.99 yearly
  • Japan
    • ¥1,550 – monthly / ¥4,300 – quarterly / ¥10,250 yearly
• PlayStation Plus Deluxe (Select Markets) For markets without cloud streaming, PlayStation Plus Deluxe will be offered at a lower price compared to Premium, and includes a catalog of beloved classic games from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations to download and play, along with time-limited game trials. Benefits from Essential and Extra tiers are also included. Local pricing will vary by market.

PlayStation notes that some first-party games willl be available at launch with the Premium Service:

• Death Stranding

• God Of War

• Marvel's Spider-Man (+ Miles Morales)

• Mortal Kombat 11

• Returnal

Commenting with Games.Industry, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan also confirms there will be no launch titles at the service, a big letdown for those who were expecting to see games like God of War: Ragnarok at day one:

We feel if we were to do that with the games that we make at PlayStation Studios, that virtuous cycle will be broken.

But Why Release this now?

Why would Sony chose to compete with Game Pass? Well, Sony has over 50 million subscriptions across its PlayStation business, but around 95% are on PlayStation Plus and around 5% are on PlayStation Now. The fact that PS Now never had the same appeal or adoption as PlayStation Plus, for someone that wasn't a subscriber of PS Now, opens up a ton more options that are easy to move to via the tiered approach. For someone that was a PlayStation Now subscriber (in addition to PlayStation Plus), there are now cheaper options (download only) or additional perks. This simplification provides a more streamlined offering with certain perks that weren't there before; PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5 game catalogue in the Extra tier ; Game trials in the Premium tier; Cheaper pricing for the Deluxe tier that offers back catalog games via download .

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