Ever since the success of Microsoft’s Game Pass, there's always been the question of if, or rather when, Sony might hop on the “available at launch” feature for new titles. Well, a new interview with the head of PlayStation’s indies department reiterates the company’s focus on the premium release of a title. In short, Sony will not be adding same-day releases to its new PlayStation Plus structure.
PlayStation’s Head of Independent Developer Initiatives Shuhei Yoshida spent this past week discussing Sony’s PlayStation Plus service at GI Live 2022. While the restructured PS Plus feels primed and ready for same-day releases, that is not Sony’s plan. Instead, Yoshida shares that the company will continue to release and distribute new games in the same way movies are handled, continuing Sony's approach to keeping its big triple-A releases as a premium.
As Yoshida puts it (thanks VideoGameChronicles), "In the same kind of way, we believe in the premium release of a title at launch and after maybe six months, or three months, or three years, when the game's sales come down, inclusion into this service, PS Plus Extra, can help introduce these games to new, broader audiences."
Using this method of distribution, Yoshida feels that it gives developers more control over a game’s lifecycle. Once the physical/digital sales of a title have essentially dried up, the game can then hop onto the Extra tier of PS Plus. Then, once its lifespan on that tier has run its course, it can find a new audience in the cheaper tiers of the service. This would allow the game to continuously find an audience while also generating as much revenue as possible.
Plus, Yoshida worries that adding games on release would break the “virtuous cycle”. Thus, the level of investment in the studios would not be possible and a lower-quality game would be produced. Only time will tell if this approach will keep Sony’s service as popular as its biggest competition.