Sony Interactive Entertainment announced on Tuesday that due to the ongoing market environment, it will increase the price of its PlayStation Plus subscription service in some regions starting from May 20, mainly targeting new users of the entry-level Essential tier.
According to the official announcement, the adjusted one-month subscription price increased from US$9.99 to US$10.99, an increase of approximately 10%; and the three-month subscription price increased from US$24.99 to US$27.99, an increase of approximately 12%. The euro zone and the pound zone have increased simultaneously: the monthly fee has risen to 9.99 euros and 7.99 pounds respectively, and the quarterly fee has increased to 27.99 euros and 21.99 pounds.
Sony said that existing subscribers will continue to be billed at the original price as long as they continue to renew their subscriptions and do not change service levels. If the subscription is interrupted and then reactivated or the service plan is changed, the new price will apply. Existing users in Türkiye and India will also be affected.
The price increase follows a price increase for the PS5 console in March this year, which Sony blamed on changing market conditions. The analysis pointed out that the global AI boom has pushed up the demand for memory chips, leading to an increase in the cost of memory and solid-state drives, putting pressure on the entire gaming industry.
It is worth noting that this price adjustment is only about six months before the scheduled release date of "GTA 6". "GTA Online" requires a PS Plus subscription to play online, and is expected to attract a large influx of new users. The market believes that Sony chose to complete the price increase at this time in advance, aiming to lock in this potential increase in users.
At present, the Extra and Premium levels and annual fee plans have not been adjusted yet, and the specific arrangements for the Asian market have yet to be officially announced.
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Sony announced that it will increase PS Plus subscription membership prices starting from May 20, affecting monthly or quarterly subscribers.