In the pursuit of reaching a billion Sony device users, the company reveals it has plans to reach a wider audience with the PlayStation Now service. Although initially a cloud streaming service, PS Now has the potential to turn into a worthy competitor to Xbox Game Pass if operated and delivered correctly.
PlayStation Now started as a cloud streaming service, but it wasn’t a strongly successful one. Even in 2021, the industry doesn't seem sure how to best implement game streaming for players, as somewhat demonstrated by Google Stadia's and Amazon Luna's struggles to capture wide gaming audiences. However, PS Now has evolved over the years, and it now adds a few new games for free each month, filling a similar role to Xbox Games with Gold (though that role is better filled by PlayStation Plus).
During the recent Sony Corporate Strategy Meeting, it’s been revealed that the company plans to expand its PS Now service. It's part of an initiative to grow the global Sony audience, which is anticipated to include as many as one billion people in the future, a considerable increase over the current 160 million Sony device users. During the meeting, Sony expressed determination to invest in both first-party and external studios to improve PS Now's game library, but details on how and when have yet to be divulged.
Even though PS Now regularly introduces new titles to make it a more enticing offer to PlayStation players, some games are actually leaving the library. The latest PS Now departure will be Dishonored 2, which is expected to be removed from the service next week. The information was originally revealed by leakers on Reddit and later confirmed by updated expiration date on the game’s PS Now page. It is not yet clear if the removal has anything to do with Bethesda’s acquisition by Microsoft.
Although Sony is planning to improve PS Now, it is worth noting that the service's share in the global Sony audience is a fraction. As of May 2020, the number of subscribers was approximately 2.2 million, which is less than 1.5% of the 160 million-strong Sony consumer population identified during the the Wednesday meeting. It potentially shows that Sony has failed to capture a wide enough net around its own audience, something the company has to address while also expanding the service's library of available titles. PS Now should be primarily advertised as a competitor to the quickly growing Xbox Game Pass, as free games available for a subscription seems to be more enticing to players than game streaming right now.
Source: Sony