I did some very quick and dirty maths, I think PS+ is about a quarter of Sony as a wholes profit. It would be very difficult for them to let go of that with nothing to replace it.
I feel like if MS does it, it’s been part of a strategy going on for years. Replace the income in stages and hit various important targets like 10m GP subscribers. Steam releases as well, they will be part of diversifying their income and allowing the dropping off the paywall.
Still though, I hope Sony does drop it. I don’t want to pay it ever again and they are clearly using the money to stop content hitting Xbox.
It doesn’t seem like Sony has any plans to remove the multiplayer paywall. Microsoft being the only one truly offering free multiplayer is a pretty big deal. (If it happens)
I believe this will once again differentiate MS and Sony paths. The latter still going on with their shortsighted strategy made of exclusive-characters, forcing users to use only new controllers and basically still attached to the plastic box business comfort zone. The former showing genuine pro-consumer attention, more interested in user engagement on their services. They are even more playing in 2 different championships.
If anything, Sony is doubling down on PS Plus, as their recent free games have been definitely high quality (next month has MW2 Remastered among others). Sony and Microsoft are once again on opposing ends: Microsoft is phasing out Live, Sony probably wants to keep paid multiplayer but trying to make the deal more pleasing by increasing perceived value.
In a way I don’t blame Sony for trying to squeeze the Console only position while they still can. I feel like this is the last generation where they can get away with that. In 10 years consoles will just be one of many options for people.
What makes this so interesting is there definitely demand for what Sony is providing, that is what is making this whole next-gen switch so fascinating. I prefer the service-focused approach which is why I am on team Xbox, but we cannot forget that this is still the minority view within the current zeitgeist
Yes, that’s true. No blaming but they are acting just like Apple in their best days. They are still trying to push the value for brand loyals who will buy anything (even if it’s clearly more expensive) just because there’s “playstation” written on a box and most importantly even if their product is not superior to others. The same thing happened to Apple. But when competitors sold better products at a better price, Apple lost its supremacy. I think sooner or later Sony will have to deal with it. I consider MS acting the same way as Android disrupting the mobile phones market.
I think it’s going to be huge when they do, massive news and a lot of casuals will love the idea too. With this move we should finally see FF XIV on the Xbox!
I personally won’t miss Games with Gold too much. I wonder if they will cut the program straight away or do a few more months before stopping it as a good will gesture?
Thing is… Most of us are hardcore Xbox fans… And that isn’t such a big percentage… Most ppl DO download GWG and appreciate it… Which is why it’s still going… I say… TIE GWG WITH GPU… make it a part of ultimate and it fixes everything… One more reason to get it…
I think maybe people are expecting GwG to disappear if/when Gold does?
I think maybe keeping GwG with Ultimate would be a good idea, but at that point, if you have Ultimate, the offerings on GamePass are far superior than the GwG games so I’m unsure what value it really offers.
Agree with @Deviouz_143. Just give the games with GPU and call it a day.
Removing a paywall like that and releasing the cheapest console, is just a money maker on f2p games and the cut they take from transactions.
Any value is good value… I mean… We are super spoiled that we don’t want free games anymore lol… But Sony having it and Xbox NOT having it would be a plus for sony and a negative for Xbox… Remember… We look at it through the eyes of hardcore Xbox gamers with many games in our library… We may not find as much value in it but many most likely do
I really wonder what they’re gonna do. I’m still not entirely convinced they’ll drop Gold completely. I do think the paywall for F2P will be gone. I’ve always said it’s a little unfair to people buying paid online games (Battlefield, previously Halo, Sea of Thieves, etc.) compared to people who play F2P games like Fortnite. But it does make business sense. Especially since PlayStation doesn’t have this paywall for F2P multiplayer.
