Sony Withdraws PS Now Cards Hinting Again at a New Subscription Service

While the Sony PS5 has undoubtedly proven to be the bigger winner in the current round of the console wars (so far at least), I don’t think it would be unfair to say that when you compare the subscription services available on that system to what you get with Microsoft, Xbox Game Pass is representative of, if not the better value for money, then at least the far more rewarding proposition for the gaming consumer.

Don’t get me wrong, Sony’s subscription services aren’t outright bad, but between PS Plus and PlayStation Now, it’s a bit clumsy and nowhere near as well organised or as generous with its games as Xbox Game Pass. Put simply, being subscribed to both, I hugely prefer what Microsoft offers. – An opinion that might perhaps be also shared by PlayStation executives.

Why? Well, back in December, rumours appeared online suggesting that Sony was planning to launch a total overhaul of its subscription service. One that would effectively remove the individual PS Plus and PlayStation Now entities and break this down into a 3 tier system. The biggest overall casualty of this was expected to be PlayStation Now specifically as an individual package, and, in fairness, that did make some sense. While certainly well-intentioned, PS Now has never really caught on with the gaming community.

Will this overhaul actually happen though? Well, following a report via GamesIndustry, it seems a lot more likely now as Sony has officially withdrawn its PlayStation Now subscription cards from a major UK gaming retailer!

Sony Takes Another Step Towards a Major PlayStation Subscription Overhaul!

As part of the report, it has been confirmed that Sony has officially withdrawn/recalled all of its PlayStation Now pre-purchase subscription cards from ‘Game UK’. If the news is, therefore, proven accurate, then these should no longer be available to purchase from the retailer as of January 19th.

Now, putting two and two together (and admittedly possibly coming up with five), this does seem to strongly indicate that Sony is at least planning some kind of major move for this particular aspect of its subscription-based services. And as noted above, this does seem to be one of the first major steps towards their total overhaul of its current platform.

What might we expect from this new PlayStation subscription platform though? Well, although just a theory, the following tier system has been suggested:

• A ‘top tier’ offering/combining both PS Plus and PS Now features, but also incorporating the option to access a library of titles for the PS4 and the PS5 (the latter will grow as, I presume, more games are released)
• A ‘standard’ PS Plus tier that will include access to the defunct in name/individuality PS Now platform
• A low-tier option simply offering standard PS Plus access

When Will We Know More?

Sources are claiming that Sony plans to launch its new subscription service before the end of this quarter. And if we’re being bluntly honest, from everything we’ve heard so far, it basically sounds like they’re trying to copy what Microsoft offers with its truly excellent Xbox Game Pass. – No, £10.99 for Xbox Games Pass Ultimate isn’t cheap, and PlayStation owners likely won’t be too thrilled at seeing such a similar price for Sony’s top-tier offering/s.

Based on what you get for your money with Xbox though, I think it dumps all over everything Sony currently has, and, as such, perhaps an overhaul is exactly what’s needed here!

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!