The upcoming console generation will move the industry forward in graphical and processing power, but Sony could also make console gaming more accessible and consumer-friendly on PlayStation 5 by removing its online multiplayer fee. PlayStation Plus subscription fees add up to a big cost on top of game and console purchases, so the PS5's potentially expensive launch would be the ideal time to axe them.
Sony introduced paid PlayStation Plus at the start of the current console generation. Online multiplayer on the PlayStation 3 came at no extra cost to players, lowering the barriers to entry for online gaming when compared to the Xbox 360's paid Xbox Live service. The PlayStation 4's launch changed things, and players now have to pay $10 monthly, $60 yearly, or $25 every three months in order to play online with friends.
According to Destructoid, Sony said around the time of the PS4's launch that it decided to charge for online play in order to support its online infrastructure.
"[W]e've already talked about the share button, sharing features, second screens...if we continue to invest into online infrastructures, that costs money. If we continue free service for online multiplayer, from a business standpoint, there's pressure to recover costs. That's when we decided 'let's ask the people who are most active in playing online to share some of the cost so we can invest more.'"
Meanwhile, gaming platforms like Steam on PC don't charge players anything for in-game internet access. Here's why PS5 multiplayer should be free, too.
Why PS5 Players Shouldn't Need To Pay For Online Multiplayer
The PlayStation 4's Share Button features are certainly handy: Players are able to capture game footage, edit it, and upload it directly to social media, as well as share live gameplay via streaming. Additionally, the console's Share Play function lets players share game screens with others in their party, and PlayStation Plus subscribers get access to useful cloud save storage space. But not all players use these features, so it doesn't make sense that those who simply want to play with their friends have to shoulder the burden of the optional extras.
In fact, free-to-play PS4 games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone already allow players to skip Sony's fees. If the company is able to simply switch off the fee for these titles, it should be able to for all of them. This is especially true because it appears Sony only has to pay for server upkeep for its own, first-praty games. Other PS4 online multiplayer games either run on cheaper peer-to-peer systems (meaning one player acts as a server and the others join in) or run on servers provided by their developers.
With the launch of the PS5, Sony should transition the PlayStation Network to a tiered system: Players who only want to access online play should be able to do so for free. PlayStation Plus could remain at its same price but become to a sort of premium service, giving hardcore fans who want access to streaming, cloud storage, sharing features, and monthly free PS Plus games a way to keep those features, while also continuing to provide Sony income to pay for them.
The PlayStation 5 is set to launch in the 2020 holiday season.