Sony won't give in: PlayStation exclusives won't appear on PS Plus at launch

If you were hoping that Sony would follow Microsoft's lead and add its exclusives to PS Plus right after release, we have news for you: that's not going to happen! Sony is sticking to its tried and true strategy of not wanting to devalue its top-notch content by adding it to the service at launch.

Here's What We Know

According to analytics company Circana, the subscription segment is stagnating, and this has had an undeniable impact on software sales across the Xbox product line. As a result, Microsoft has begun porting its entire game portfolio to platforms such as PS5, with many of its big franchises, such as Gears of War Reloaded, now being released simultaneously on Sony's system.

Sony, which has always maintained that the Game Pass model is "unsustainable", is unsurprisingly reluctant to change course. "We've stayed true to our strategy of not wanting to release games immediately upon release," said Nick Maguire, head of PlayStation services, in an interview with GameFile.

This doesn't mean that the company isn't looking to improve the quality of its service, especially the more expensive PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium tiers. Subscribers know that there have been a number of third-party releases on day one recently, including the critically acclaimed Blue Prince.

"Our strategy of looking for four to five independent titles to release on day one - and using that to complement our strategy of adding games when they're 12, 18 months old or older - that balance is working very well for us across the platform," Maguire continued. He also clarified that the number of "four to five" releases on the first day is not sustainable, and the company will consider adding more if the opportunity arises.

Frankly, we think time has shown that Sony's decision not to include first-party games in the subscription at launch is the right strategy. While Xbox Game Pass has undeniable value, it attracts a very specific type of gamer who is interested in having a wide variety of content available at all times. The reality is that games are not a passive form of entertainment like music and television, so most gamers prefer to buy the games they specifically want to play rather than subscribing to a huge library of titles they may never touch.

Source: Game File