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[StereoVsn]

30% or in my region 26.67%, price increase cannot compensate for the loss of 10% of customers.


47million subs, all paying purely hypothetical for the highest tier, 119,99€ right now plus the increase of 26,67% in my region.

That'll be 7.143.592.651€ for Sony with all people paying the increased price.

If, like you said, 10% of the subscribers drop out and the remaining 90% of the players happily pay the increased price, Sony just gets 6.429.233.385€

7.143.592.651 - 6.429.233.385 = 714,359,266


714,359,266€ is a huge loss if only 10% drop out right now, even if the remaining 90% are still paying. That's more than the cost of a AAA game today.

Someone at Sony must have run the numbers and deemed it to be worth it I guess. Maybe they also get less load on the network, which doesn't quite make sense either.

I guess yeah, if you look at the math for this, it's strange overall. Maybe Sony thinks only a few people on gaming boards will drop it and rest don't care?

 

[Lunarorbit]

I usually re sub during the christmas sale which I presume will come in @ €100 for extra.

For me to consider resubbing I need the following before then.

Marvels Midnight Suns
Dead Space Remaster
Yu-Long Fallen Dynasty

These are my terms.

Wait... Hold up. You mean you don't want nba 2k23 after the season is over as a ps essential game?

The last year I've only played 2 ps essential games that were offered. A few others I already had. It's a horrible value even at the price it's at now.

 

[NeverYouMind]

Once against I'm not against PC gaming (hell I played 25 years on PC, I have 900 games on Steam) but I always thought it's funny this "huh, it won't pass on PC" when they accepted one of the biggest shift in the history of video games consumption.

I know console gaming will go there too.

About different stores yes but look how many (most of ?) PC gamers always have boycotted other stores just because they want everything at the same place : STEAM. The only other store that is successful is the Battle.net launcher since it's the only place to play those games (same goes with LoL / Fortnite etc).

As for paying to play online... Well personally I would not pay to play online, I pay a sub for GPU because of the games and on PS since the PS+ exists, you have games (GOOD games) monthly and this is why I subbed to that.

The PC discs were shit. Not only did they act as a precursor to DRM, but they fucked up data streaming. People would always crack the applications to run without them. With all the updates modern games need, there is not even a point in physical releases.

P.S. I think it would be great if people would comprehensively review what subscription services they use as it would give them a leg up on companies increasing prices without added value in the future. However, I know many people just buy a discounted yearly subscription offering when it is on sale and only use the service on occassion. I doubt marginal price increases will change their buying habits.

 

[Robb]

30% or in my region 26.67%, price increase cannot compensate for the loss of 10% of customers.

Maybe I’m having a brain fart but shouldn’t your calculation exclude the percentage increase in the first section if you want to show if the price increase can compensate for the customer loss?

(I.e. 47,000,000× 119.99 V.S. 47,000,000×0.9×(119.99×1.2667))

 

[Kupfer]

Someone at Sony must have run the numbers and deemed it to be worth it I guess.

I think so, too. Still, there's a possibility that Sony is just getting too arrogant again and thinks they can do whatever they want with the fanbase. That almost went to shit with the PS3, but changed again over the course of the generation, and that's how the quite good PS4 generation came about. This one went and is going really well for Sony, which is why they might just try to enforce their corporate will again and put the customer in the back seat.

I guess yeah, if you look at the math for this, it's strange overall. Maybe Sony thinks only a few people on gaming boards will drop it and rest don't care?

Unfortunately this is our only way to express our displeasure that can work. I'm not saying it will work, I'm saying it can help reassert our interests as customers.

We can only try to change something through our wallets. Forumthreads like this one or Reddit posts won't impress Sony much, the internal numbers that say crowd X is no longer willing to pay will.

 

[X-Wing]

this will make q huge difference /s

 

[Kupfer]

Maybe I’m having a brain fart but shouldn’t your calculation exclude the percentage increase in the first section if you want to show if the price increase can compensate for the customer loss?

(I.e. 47,000,000× 119.99 V.S. 47,000,000×0.9×(119.99×1.2667))

I thought that myself because it seemed strange to me as well and maybe my brain is smooth right now, but the autosubs have no choice but to pay the new price from next month, so I assumed that. I left possible tier downgrades out of it, that would have made it too complicated for me. But please correct the calculation if it is wrong.

Edit:

I think you are right.
It's all about before and after.

Before:

47000000 x 119,99€ = 5.639.530.000€

After with 10% dropout and 26,67% price increase:

47000000 x 0.9 x 119,99€ x 1.2667 = 6.429.233.385

So they still have more money than before.


In this scenario, 22% would have to quit in order for Sony to have less money after than before.

47000000 x 119.99€ x 1.2667 x 0.78 = 5.572.002.267€

 

[Kabelly]

loud minority. people are still gonna want to play COD. Starfield early access proved gamers will bend over for these companies.

 

[Osthyvel]

Wonderful! And thats coming from a lifelong PlayStationfantast.

 

[PrCat88]

I already cancelled it before the news of the increase. Just didn't ultimately have the time to play all the games they offered and their classics catalog was pretty bare bones. I still have my PS3 with all my PS1/PS2 digital purchases on it and that doesn't need a subscription so the choice was easy.

I did renew Game Pass though just to check out Starfield but I don't know how long I'll keep that around.

 

[Robb]

I thought that myself because it seemed strange to me and maybe my brain is smooth right now, but the autosubs have no choice but to pay the new price from next month, so I assumed that. I left possible tier downgrades out of it, that would have made it too complicated for me. But please correct the calculation if it is wrong.

I’m just thinking it should be:
47,000,000x1x(119.99x1)
(the amount they made per customer before the increase with zero loss in customers)
V.S.
47,000,000×0.9×(119.99×1.2667)
(the amount they’ll make per customer with the price increase as well as a customer loss of 10%)

Otherwise we’re just comparing a loss of customers at the same price point, which will always be negative no matter how you cut it.

 

[Clear]

I hate to say it, but lf you are paying per month, couldn't you nullify the change in price by paying for a year upfront?

If you buy per-month you are getting gouged. Xbox is the same, its a common tactic to lock people into a service.

 

[Kupfer]

I’m just thinking it should be:
47,000,000x1x(119.99x1)
(the amount they made per customer before the increase with zero loss in customers)
V.S.
47,000,000×0.9×(119.99×1.2667)
(the amount they’ll make per customer with the price increase as well as a customer loss of 10%)

Otherwise we’re just comparing a loss of customers at the same price point, which will always be negative no matter how you cut it.

You guys are right, edited it.

 

[TaylorSwiftFan]

I predict that this will be a very small minority of people.

 

[veterangamerUK]

Every cunt out there is taking the piss with prices. Food+rent comes before any of this bollocks.

U ok hun

 

[John Wick]

This price increase is a joke and a total rip-off. Dumbo Ryan strikes again. If your increasing your prices offer something substantial to offset it. A £10 increase per year was more than enough but Sony gotta Sony.......

 

[BlitzerRadic]

Did you use PSN prepaid cards or do it through online? It won’t let me add more time for $59 U.S….

PSN cards on PS5 console. But I dont think that matters. I checked on PSN store on my laptop and its the same. I can add another year for $60 and my end date will be in 2026.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

This price increase is a joke and a total rip-off. Dumbo Ryan strikes again. If your increasing your prices offer something substantial to offset it. A £10 increase per year was more than enough but Sony gotta Sony.......

They are simply willing to lose subscribers. That is their right to make that call. This is the opposite of MS who don't care to make profits and just want more subscribers because they needed penetration.

PS+ is not for everyone. If you don't think it is worth it then don't pay, Sony is not going to stop you. And this is not about arrogance, just economics. Sony is here to run a business. They are not like Microsoft who had an entire unrelated part of the company bankrolling the Xbox division.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

I hate to say it, but lf you are paying per month, couldn't you nullify the change in price by paying for a year upfront?

If you buy per-month you are getting gouged. Xbox is the same, its a common tactic to lock people into a service.

I think the idea behind per-month pay is that the people who use this structure just jump in and bow out sporadically. It makes much more sense to simply pay for a month or two, then cancel as opposed to just paying the max each month while using it that way all year long.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Part of why I never renewed my ps plus subscription is ps plus’s new tier system SUCKS.

 

[kikii]

This is not about the 10€ (here, by the way, it is 12€, 26€ or 32€ surcharge which is an increase of 20%, 26%, 26,6%), but about being milked by a multi-billion dollar corporation that pays its chairmen bonuses in the millions and pretends that the business is no longer worthwhile without a price increase. In the process, decisions are made that are disadvantageous for the customer, who becomes more and more dependent on this corporation.
I don't give a damn about the 12€ surcharge, but I don't want to get screwed.

Therefore, canceled.

Also crossposting this:

It's true that most auto-renewable subscription users will probably never know and therefore don't care about the price hike.
That's why it's all the more important that we at least try to make Sony understand that its customers aren't happy with their decisions.
Cancelled auto-renewable subscriptions will be reflected in their internal numbers and statistics and hopefully cause concern.
Auto-renewable subscriptions mean future-proof money to plan with. The more people drop out, the less planning certainty and hopefully a reason to rethink.

buy ur ps+ codes from 3rd party and always cancel auto-renew as it will be there by default, not so hard but ofc some ppl have to cry over it but its okee

 

[Lucifers Beard]

If I hadn’t picked up the VR headset this year, I’d be cancelling straight away. I have a few friends I play with on occasion and so it’s worth having for that reason. Definitely downgrading and perhaps just buying monthly when we do play.

Definitely PC only next gen.

 

[Trogdor1123]

You do you, of course, but you do realize that you can turn off that auto-renewal right now, right? Also, a calendar reminder is much more reliable than a significant other.

I did that already. The reminder is that I’m grumpy about it and not to renew when I’ll want to

 

[ScHlAuChi]

I´m cancelling my subscription too after it has run out !!!!

Ok fine - I just added 10 years to my current subscription before the price hike!
I should be set till PS7!

 

[rofif]

I´m cancelling my subscription too after it has run out !!!!

Ok fine - I just added 10 years to my current subscription before the price hike!
I should be set till PS7!

Wait. You spent 600 euro on a fucking sub?!

 

[SenkiDala]

I´m cancelling my subscription too after it has run out !!!!

Ok fine - I just added 10 years to my current subscription before the price hike!
I should be set till PS7!

Well if you have 600€ to drop like this boom, without having it planned, then paying 72 yearly wouldn't be a problem for you either.

I'm personally subbed to PS+ Premium (I love too much retro gaming, even when Sony is doing the barely minimal effort), I always pay like 85/90€ yearly by paying discounted cards (like 50€ for 42€) and subbing during a sale (99 instead of 119 for a year) but 151... Wow I need to find some pretty hardly discounted PSN cards.

 

[ScHlAuChi]

Wait. You spent 600 euro on a fucking sub?!

Yes, becasue I can - but no it was 500

 

[rofif]

Yes, becasue I can - but no it was 500

You realise that’s not saving you money?
Imagine how much 60 euro is worth today and how much 80 euro will be worth in 9 years.
Inflation. You done fkd up

 

[Three]

I’m gonna stay essential. I had a year of premium pretty much free when they did the conversion and that ran out a couple months ago so I just went essential for a year.

I’ll reevaluate it next year to see if it’s worth it.

Essential is the one getting shafted the most and shouldn't have seen an increase. The others they can at least somewhat justify to be competitive with GP in securing content and they're still cheaper than GP. IMO The PS+ Extra library has been better than gamepass for at least the last year or slightly more. There's nothing to justify the essential hike though.

 

[ScHlAuChi]

You realise that’s not saving you money?
Imagine how much 60 euro is worth today and how much 80 euro will be worth in 9 years.
Inflation. You done fkd up

If I cared about that I certainly wouldnt spend 500€ on something like that, dont you think?

 

[SmokedMeat]

Arrogant Sony’s the worst Sony.

Their console’s selling gangbusters so they Jack up the price of their subscription service for no reason, other than to gouge their fanbase.

This is why you should be rooting for stronger competition to keep them in check.

 

[Killer8]

I suspect everyone who claims they are leaving for good will come flooding back when the usual Black Friday and holiday deals drop.

Last year you could get PlayStation Plus Extra for $60 instead of the usual $100. This year you'll probably see the subs on sale for the old price (if not cheaper). These are stackable as well.

You can also usually save an additional ~15% buying pre-paid PSN top-up cards at discounted rates and then using those to pay for the sub.

 

[Three]

This is why you should be rooting for stronger competition to keep them in check.

Arrogant MS just jacked theirs and they have the most expensive sub yet they're the one who aren't even competing very well.

 

[rofif]

If I cared about that I certainly wouldnt spend 500€ on something like that, dont you think?

Yeah I suppose.
And I suppose if I had more money, I wouldn't ask those questions too
(I am doing well enough though )

 

[mitch1971]

MANY as reported...

MANY in reality...

 

[SenkiDala]

Something to not forget about, many people cancel because they're upset, but once the sub arrives to its end, they'll feel "errr fuck it I want it" and sub again right away.

I know it because I did it in the past.

 

[taizuke]

I think they're noticing that most people are waiting for deals to subscribe/renew, so by increasing the price, they get us to pay the amount they wanted in the first place.

For example, if Extra is now $135, all they have to do is run a deal through Christmas at $105. If Extra was still $100, they would have to slash the price even more to give us a deal.

 

[Hemingwayoffbase]

For $80, here’s the truth:

The free games you get every month with “essential” are of such low quality that I hardly ever play them. On the off chance I get a game I like, it’s now become significantly more cost effective to just buy those few games when they’re on sale and not build a large digital collection of crap that will just get taken away when I cancel the subscription anyway.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

I locked in like 9 years of Premium for around $50 each so I’m good for a while. Otherwise I’d be cancelling. It was nice to be a customer during the forever growth zero interest rate days, I don’t want to be a customer now that businesses are realizing they need to make money again.

 

[Clear]

I think the idea behind per-month pay is that the people who use this structure just jump in and bow out sporadically. It makes much more sense to simply pay for a month or two, then cancel as opposed to just paying the max each month while using it that way all year long.

Yeah. I get the utility for users, but... its kinda what the service providers don't want! The value to them is steady, predictable numbers over time; so they always incentivize gamers paying well upfront or if you want to look at it the other way, penalize them for dipping in and out.

I called out MS for this when the GamePass prices got tweaked to the extent that it made paying monthly way more than for a year, and Sony do exactly the same sneaky shit.

 

[LegendOfKage]

I always find it funny when "socially responsible" progressive companies happy to lecture you about right and wrong make it blatantly clear that they couldn't give a shit less about the poor, or about regular people trying to make ends meet.

 

[Field]

I will likely not resub to both Plus and Gamepass when they run out. Some good games offered but I have always already bought the ones I really want to play. And I feel like I’ve forced myself to play some average games on both gamepass and plus just to feel like I got my moneys worth.

I might still resub later if there is a day one game offered that I really want to play but not buy for whatever reason.

 

[Digity]

bought a cheap 3 month card form cdkeys.com the other day.

for ONE reason alone: Gran Turismo 7.

and everyone drive like wankers and knock you off at every opportunity with ZERO way to report the pricks and ZERO repercussion.

multiplayer gaming is trash

Ya GT online has always been horrible, penalty system that generally punishes the victim. Much better options out there if you actually want proper racing.

 

[Bry0]

This thread reminded me to cancel my auto renewal for a prepaid card I used. Thanks!

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Yeah. I get the utility for users, but... its kinda what the service providers don't want! The value to them is steady, predictable numbers over time; so they always incentivize gamers paying well upfront or if you want to look at it the other way, penalize them for dipping in and out.

I called out MS for this when the GamePass prices got tweaked to the extent that it made paying monthly way more than for a year, and Sony do exactly the same sneaky shit.

True. These companies can bank on the fact that a large majority of subscribers simply pay monthly, then likely forget about it for years on end. What an absolute waste. My aunt is like that for streaming subs. Has Netflix, Hulu, Prime, Paramount, Epix, etc. and forgets her passwords while just paying for them monthly, even though she rarely watches them.

 

[MikeM]

Cancelled mine. Using my PC more anyways. PS5 can be my singleplayer box.

 

[BbMajor7th]

It's really not great. The optics are pretty shabby too: the service was only relaunched in 2022, having to up your prices that drastically that quickly just makes you look like you didn't know what you were doing in the first place.

 

[sendit]

The 160 is like 13 a month if you can't afford that I dunno what else to tell ya. That's not that expensive.

A single service is fairly cheap. I spend more on coffee within two days for the price of a single sub. However, many people have multiple subscriptions to services for entertainment. The cost adds up.

PS Plus clearly does not provide enough value for the price increase. And some people are reacting by cancelling.

 

[SSfox]

I was literally about to sub another year PS+ this month and preorder the Tekken 8 Ultimate Edition on PSN

But it look like i'm changing my plans, not only i won't sub on PS+ever again (at least not at this joke price), but also i won't be getting Tekken 8 on PS5. Most likely PC version or even Xbox if i can get Xbox Live sub for very good deal, it kinda sucks cause i like Dual Sens more than Xbox pad but the PSN+ price is a fucking pure joke forcing to pay 80$ a year just to play online.

They should have at the very least created a new Sub service for 25-30$ for Online only, but nope Sony new heads thinks out of their asses.

It may be the first time ever i'm not buying Tekken on Playstation console. Good job Sony.

 

[MarkMe2525]

I imagine most of this is social media noise. They will be fine and most likely have a net increase in revenue from the change.