Sony PS Plus has lost 1.3 million subscribers in the last quarter.
This news comes from the recent Q1 financial report for Sony’s fiscal year 2021 that shows a huge decline in PlayStation Plus subscriptions in the last quarter. This drop is attributed to the 2020 Coronavirus-related lockdowns, according to the company. In recent years, the service’s popularity has grown steadily, with Sony reporting an amazing 47.6 million PS Plus customers as of Spring 2021.
Sony has lost a large number of subscriptions, despite the fact that the quality and quantity of games accessible on the subscription has improved month after month.
According to Sony’s current Q1 financial report, the company’s subscriber base is at 46.3 million, suggesting a loss of over a million customers.
Sony is unconcerned about the fall, with CFO Hiroki Totoki noting the 2020 stay-at-home restrictions as a cause for the initial uptick in-game activity. The lifting of the limitations has resulted in a drop in gaming activity. He goes on to mention that even though numbers are down from last year there is still an increase compared to the 2019 fiscal year.
Totoki himself said that the company would “monitor the situation carefully and [it] will deepen the engagement and enhance the platform, therefore during the coming fiscal year we will take actions to support this business.”
PS Plus customers are rewarded with free games on a monthly basis in addition to online play, and these games remain playable as long as the subscription is active. Sony has also recently released this month’s free games which include: Tennis World Tour 2, Plants VS Zombies: Battle For Neighbourville, and Hunter’s Arena: Legends.
It’s simple to see how the covid restrictions and Sony’s “Stay-at-home” program resulted in a huge increase in subscriptions and clients, and now that many of the world’s lockdown restrictions have been relaxed, the number of PS Plus users will naturally fall.
Sony, on the other hand, seems unconcerned about the drop in sales and will undoubtedly find a new way to raise sales if they believe a trend is developing.