Sony’s video game streaming service, known as PlayStation Now, will be pushed hard leading into and during the next console generation, according to SIE CEO, Jim Ryan. This might not come as a shock, seeing as how the next generation seems to be leaning into streaming as a main focus for consumers.
According to Ryan:
We obviously have seen the trend in other forms of entertainment towards the mass adoption of streaming as a means of accessing content. It would seem likely, very likely, that gaming will follow that trend.
We are getting more confident with the [PlayStation Now] service and we are really going to start to push it hard this year and in years to follow.
PlayStation Now has slowly been hooking consumers, despite its rocky launch in 2014. As of April 2019, the service has over 700,000 users. It’s come a long way since it debuted. Since then, many changes have been made to PlayStation Now. Most notably, people have the ability to download titles, instead of streaming them over the internet. For many games that require twitch-like reflexes, the delay that comes with streaming can make or break your experience.
In the five years since it’s launch, PlayStation Now has added over 750 games across multiple generations of PlayStation. This library continues to be expanded upon, with new additions every month. June saw the addition of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Lego City: Undercover, along with a slew of others. It is $100 for a year, or $20 per month.
It will be interesting to see how this service transitions into the next generation with the PS5. Perhaps we could see something like what Xbox has with its Game Pass service, where games debut on the platform at no additional cost.
Sony will have to do something to make its service compelling, as the next generation will be quite competitive. At least we know we haven’t seen the last of PlayStation Now and that it will be coming in hot with PS5.
[Source: Financial Times via Comicbook.com]
