PS Plus: Sony raises prices for its subscription service without valid reason

You're probably aware of the bad news that hit PlayStation gamers this month: Sony has decided to raise the prices of its PS Plus subscription service, which allows online play and access to free games each month. The new prices are as follows:

• PS Plus Essential subscription: €71.99 per year instead of €59.99
• PS Plus Extra subscription: €125.99 per year instead of €99.99
• PS Plus Premium subscription: €151.99 per year instead of €119.99

This represents an increase of 20%, 26%, and 43% respectively for each plan. In other words, Sony is making French gamers pay a hefty price, as they are the most affected by this price hike. Indeed, in other countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, prices remain unchanged or increase only slightly.

Sony justifies this decision by citing the need to continue offering high-quality games and added-value benefits to its subscription service. But what are these benefits? Which games are considered high-quality? It's clear that PS Plus hasn't been very generous in recent months, offering games that are either unappealing or already available on other platforms. 

For example, in September, subscribers got Overcooked : All You Can Eat , a cooperative cooking game released in 2016, Hitman 2 , a stealth game released in 2018, and Predator: Hunting Grounds , an asymmetrical multiplayer game released in 2020. Nothing really new or exclusive.

Furthermore, there are very few games exclusive to the Playstation 5: PS5 Exclusive Games 

Is Sony mocking gamers and profiting from inflation?

One might think that Sony needs to raise its prices to compensate for the economic crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to inflation in production and distribution costs. But that's not the case.

Sony achieved record profits in 2020 thanks to sales of its new console, the PS5, and the surge in demand for video games during lockdowns. Sony sold no fewer than 4.5 million 883.2 billion yen (approximately 6.98 billion in revenue with its gaming division. Sony doesn't need money; it already has plenty.

So why increase the prices of PS Plus? Because Sony can? Sony knows that players are captive to its service, that they have no choice if they want to play online or enjoy PlayStation exclusives.

Do you think Sony is using inflation as a pretext to increase its profit margins? And do you plan to boycott Sony?