Sony’s recent acquisition of the anime streaming service Crunchyroll might see the platform added to PlayStation Plus at a premium price. The expensive option would be Sony’s way of increasing the value of its game subscription service in an attempt to compete with the Xbox Game Pass. Crunchyroll is already popular on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, though its $1.175 billion acquisition is expected to have serious changes for the platform. With Sony’s Funimation already in the cards, the gaming company is looking to unify the subscription experience, though there are many different ways that could go.
Sony’s gaming subscription service, PlayStation Plus, has lost subscribers and active users since COVID restrictions have begun to lift. PlayStation Plus lost 1.3 million subscribers in its last quarter, a notable decline given Sony’s recent success with the service. In Spring 2021 the gaming company reported that there were 47.6 million PlayStation Plus subscribers have since dropped off, which could be setting off alarms for Sony. In an effort to combat that loss fans await further improvements to the subscription service akin to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass. Sony’s recent acquisition could be the answer.
As reported by EuroGamer, Sony plans may include the addition of Crunchyroll to its PlayStation Plus subscription service. The anime platform would hike the PS Plus price a bit, per the report, though it was said that players would get to choose which offer to subscribe to. Sony executive Tony Vinciquerra said that “with Crunchyroll and Funimation, we are committed to creating the ultimate anime experience for fans… presenting a unique opportunity for our key partners, publishers, and the immensely talented creators to continue to deliver their masterful content to audiences around the world.” Those audiences may include PlayStation owners, specifically PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Sony needed to employ some power moves to compete with the ever-expanding Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft’s gaming subscription service includes a vast library of premium games. Sony cannot compete with that library without some added help and the beloved anime streaming service Crunchyroll could be the perfect answer. While it isn’t confirmed, Sony did mention it was part of a larger plan, so current PlayStation Plus subscribers and Crunchyroll fans will have to wait and see Sony’s next move.
It isn’t clear what the price difference will be, though it’s possible that Sony will take the current paid Crunchyroll subscriber into consideration when drawing up a price tag. Sony will need to make it worthwhile for players to tack on the anime service on their already expensive PlayStation Plus subscription. Anime and gamer fans may unite once and for all on the PlayStation 5.
Source: EuroGamer