Sony, one of the giants of the gaming world, has come to the fore with news that upsets PlayStation users. The company announced that it will significantly increase the prices of its popular subscription service PlayStation Plus. This decision, which became clear with the informative e-mails sent to users, seems to have a deep impact especially on long-term subscribers. Although the new pricing, which will be valid as of June 24, 2024, only covers the 12-month Deluxe and Extra packages for now, the high increase rates applied are a harbinger of a similar picture for other subscription options.
The new prices announced will create a serious burden on PlayStation Plus subscribers' budgets. According to the information shared by Sony, the price of the 12-month Deluxe package will increase by 55,69% from 2.740 TL to 4.266 TL. Similarly, the new price of the 12-month Extra package, which offers a game catalog and various advantages, will increase from 2.340 TL to 3.645 TL, which means a 55,76% increase. These striking increase rates have caused great disappointment and reaction among gamers.
Although Sony has only officially announced the price increase for this two-year package, the high rates of increase applied provide an idea for other PlayStation Plus packages. Considering these rates, the current price of the basic 12-month Essential package, which is 1.400 TL, is expected to increase to approximately 2.180 TL. Similarly, the Essential package, which is a monthly subscription option, is likely to reach a price of around 175 TL instead of 273 TL. These predictions indicate that all PlayStation Plus subscribers will face higher costs in the short term.
Following this price hike decision, there is an important date that gamers should pay attention to: June 24, 2024. Because until this date, the opportunity to renew subscriptions or purchase new subscriptions at current prices continues. Therefore, for users who plan to continue their subscriptions for a long time, this short period of time offers an important opportunity to extend their subscriptions at more affordable prices. Otherwise, renewals and new purchases after the specified date will be made at the announced high increased prices.
Sony's unexpected and high rate of price hike decision brings to mind the reasons behind the company's move. Increasing operating costs, fluctuations in exchange rates and global economic conditions may have been effective in making this decision. However, the high rate of price hike applied causes users to have difficulty accepting this situation. Especially considering the price increases in the gaming and entertainment sector in recent years, this increase in PlayStation Plus subscriptions seems to strain gamers' budgets even more. Whether similar price updates will occur in other subscription services in the coming period continues to be a matter of curiosity.
