This is one of the biggest criticisms of the new PlayStation Plus since its launch: the exclusive PS4 and PS5 AAA are not available on the day of their release in the catalog of the subscribers. Still, this puts the service at a huge disadvantage compared to Xbox Game Pass, its direct competitor.
Have you ever wondered why PlayStation Plus doesn’t feature any PS4 or PS5 exclusives from day one? We are too, and this question is legitimate to say the least when we observe the practices of the competition – not to mention the Xbox Game Pass – in this area. Indeed, Microsoft is not reluctant to let its subscribers download many AAA games from day one. Sony, for its part, continues to resist.
Confronted on the subject during the GI Live: London event, Shuhei Yoshida, director of indie games at the Japanese firm, explained himself by stressing that Sony does not rule out the possibility of offering these games in the long term. PlayStation Plus subscription. On the other hand, there is still no question of doing it on day 1. Indeed, the company simply prefers to wait for sales to drop to finally include it in its platform.
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You’re not ready to see AAA games in PlayStation Plus when they’re released
” For [la formule] Extra, our approach is to help publishers during the management phase », develops Shuhei Yoshida, who does not miss the opportunity to recall that the Essential formula always offers several free games each month. This “management phase” therefore corresponds to the first months of a game’s life, a period during which it makes the most sales and which lasts “six months, three months, or three years” according to the Sony employee.
It is only after this period that the firm can consider including it in PlayStation Plus, in order to “to help him get known to a new and wider audience”. “Some people may have missed these games when they first came out and it’s a great opportunity to play them and generate word of mouth, or if a DLC or a sequel comes out we can help drive that excitement.” wider public interest in the franchise”concludes Shuhei Yoshida.
In other words, it is not tomorrow the day before that we will see Horizon: Forbidden West or God of War: Ragnarök landing on the platform. Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to enjoy Starfield from day one.