Last December, the well informed Jason Schreier hinted that Sony could soon strike back following the stratospheric success of Microsoft’s Game Pass. Resellers across the UK perhaps offer us a new clue with the programmed disappearance of an option offered by PlayStation Now.
After the US, UK gamers will soon no longer have the opportunity to purchase PlayStation Now prepaid cards in stores. According to information from journalist Jeff Grubb published on VentureBeat, resellers have been asked to remove this payment method from their shelves.
The revoke from the stores
The reasons for this sudden withdrawal are currently unknown, but the UK shops have reportedly been instructed to quickly remove the items from their shelves. Contacted by Grubb, the famous brand claims to have received the following message from Sony :
« Stores have until the evening of Wednesday, January 19 to collect PlayStation Now cards from their outlets and online stores for this week’s Commercial Update. »
Would the death knell have sounded for the subscription launched in 2008? Not necessarily. Indeed, the official reports suggests that it should be seen as a simple refocusing of the offer proposed by Sony:
« We will be making a transition from PlayStation Now cards to PlayStation gift cards, which can be used to purchase PS Now. »
Sbartacus
But despite these “official” explanations, some see this repatriation as an additional clue that Sony is preparing to launch its counteroffensive to Microsoft’s Game Pass, as Schreier reminds us:
According to his own sources, Sony could launch “Spartacus”, an offer bringing together the formulas of PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus for the spring of 2022. The idea would be to offer a unified service offering games from the five generations of consoles, from the PlayStation to PlayStation 5. But unlike Game Pass, Sony wouldn’t plan to offer its exclusives on release day.
Remember that for now, PlayStation Now remains accessible with a monthly subscription of 9.99 euros, 24.99 euros for three months or 59.99 € for a year. You can try it for free and access its game library unlimited for 7 days.
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