The recent data leak from the Insomniac Games hack exposes that the inclusion of Sony’s first-party exclusives in PS Plus negatively affects their sales
Sony maintains a staunch resistance to the notion of releasing first-party games on subscription services, while Microsoft contends that the launch of first-party games enhances the value of Xbox Game Pass.
In a recently leaked Sony Interactive Entertainment presentation, the company asserts that incorporating first-party games into PS Plus has had a “significant” impact on “traditional sales.” As an illustration, the company cited that sales of Horizon Forbidden West “flat-lined” immediately after its inclusion in PS Plus.
“In year 1, Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West were very comparable,” states the presentation. “HFW was included in PS Plus at the start of Year 2. HFW saw an enormous influx of PS Plus players but at the cost of flat-lining the game activations from retail sales.” The sales graph depicting this trend is available on ResetEra. As of April 2023, Horizon Forbidden West has sold more than 8 million copies on PS5 and PS4, whereas Horizon Zero Dawn has sold over 24 million units as of the same date (PC included).
Surprisingly, the leak reveals that Insomniac has asked Sony to delay the inclusion of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart in PS Plus until at least 2023. The studio wanted the game to have “one more important holiday retail sales cycle.” Contrary to earlier reports that Rift Apart was a loss for Sony, a leaked Insomniac presentation clarified that the game was profitable.