Sony's PS Plus missteps risk the PS5's consumer image | gamesindustry.biz contributing editor opinion piece

[CliveLH]

I like what PS Plus has been offering since the launch of PS5.
But I agree that the PS5 upgrade debacle for Ff7 and Greedfall were missteps.
We actually pay for those games and game pass get the upgrade for free.
I understand that Sony won't have to fix this because they won't have any pressure from their customers.

 

[Belthazar90]

So why is this article attributing the leak of upgrade to Sony? It seems like a developer decision imo. Maybe Microsoft requires developers to offer a free upgrade for games on Game Pass and Sony gives developers the choice? That's equally plausible, but it's still an assumption from a layman. We know next to nothing behind the scenes regarding Plus and GP titles.

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Because it's a very poorly written opinion piece about information that's not actually true.

 

[NewDust]

So? They made a specific SKU for FF7 PS+ that was for PS+ all this says is it's not a sku issue. It's an agreement issue.

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I wasn't necessarily disagreeing with you, just the information for your specific examples were wrong/irrelevant. And a not insignificant number of people on ERA like to parrot information, even it was wrong. I agree it is most likely an agreement issue.

 

[elenarie]

Missteps?

"Discontent among the chattering classes?"

This is not a well-written article.

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Love this. Very posh way of saying the vocal minority. :D

 

[CrispyGamer]

Unless Microsoft is strong arming these devs to not provide upgrade games on PlayStation for free (which is tin foil hat areas of goofiness) I don't see how this wouldn't fall into the category of yet another Sony policy we are not aware of yet that requires them to be paid money.

I can't see how this falls on the devs?

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Ok a "Sony policy" would make more sense since there's obviously examples of people getting a free upgrade with Deadght by Daylight. The reason you was getting pushback is because you said it was the way the "system was set up dealing with skus" which obviously doesn't make sense. I think Sony is giving the publisher the option to upgrade for free instead of making it a requirement

 

[RavenK92]

Gamesindustry.biz's terrible take missteps risk the website's consumer image

 

[starfoxxxy]

I know lol

I was hoping for another joke answer, like you'd get an official pardon letter signed by Doug Bowser/Phil Spencer himself and a Mario/Master Chief sticker for completing the game in the first place.

The only thing I can fault with the Director's Cut for GoT is the extra fee for the next-gen version.

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I was gonna answer with another joke but you never know in these threads, people read it differently lol

 

[Belthazar90]

Unless Microsoft is strong arming these devs to not provide upgrade games on PlayStation for free (which is tin foil hat areas of goofiness) I don't see how this wouldn't fall into the category of yet another Sony policy we are not aware of yet that requires them to be paid money.

I can't see how this falls on the devs?

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The publisher signed a contract with Sony to give the PS4 game to PS+ subscribers > The publisher released a PS5 upgrade for that game > The publisher asks for more money over what they already got to give the upgrade to PS+ subscribers > Sony says no > The publisher says the upgrade won't be available to PS+ subscribers.

That's how. I mean, Dead By Daylight was upgraded for free 2 years after being a PS+ game, there's no reason they would be willing to pay a fee to give an extra benefit to Sony's customers.

That whole thesis of Sony charging for people to give a free upgrade is kinda far-fetched.

 

[2shd]

Can someone clarify? Does this mean

1. if you got the game via PS+, you can't technically get the upgrade even if you buy the game later?
or
2. Just that you need to buy the full game license later if you want the upgrade?

If 2, that's not a big deal here, but Sony's store is also all kinds of messed up in how it handles various upgrades and licenses, and a lot of annoyances with their policies add up for people.

For example, I rented Guilty Gear, claimed the PS5 upgrade while I still have the disc. I can buy the base game digitally if I want, but that "free" PS5 upgrade causes the deluxe/ultimate versions to show as unpurchaseable if I wanted to buy those versions later. I just bought it on PC instead where I'm not locked out of using a my DS4 and I have yet to actually buy a game since I got a PS5 because of how they have been handling a lot of this stuff. Been renting exclusives instead

 

[thediamondage]

You want to play DLC from a game without owning the game and this is somehow Sony's fault?

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I'd like to install and play just the xpac like Infamous Second Light, Horizon Zero Dawn (Frozen), etc. I don't expect or demand anything, for me its just simpler passing on playing the xpac than rebuying a full game just to get to the xpac.

I bought FF7R intergrade (plat'd FF7R at launch) and played just the Yuffie DLC and regretted it, it wasn't worth $70 just to play 6 hours of DLC. I expect something similar will happen with GoT.

To me it feels like I am slightly being punished for playing a game at release, time and time again if I had just waited a few years instead I could have gotten the Ultimate/Directors Cut/GOTY edition that has everything and now the added wrinkle of a PS5 version with full DLC. Yeah, I know this is a thing since console launch so its not a huge surprise and my last few years have actually had me NOT buying games at launch and just waiting and its paid off, but these kind of release decisions reinforce my decision to not buy games at launch anymore, which seems like it should be anti-thetical to publishers.

I was a guy happy to drop $100 for ultimate editions of games pre-release, but I stopped doing that because I felt like I was just being taken advantage of.

 

[platocplx]

I wasn't necessarily disagreeing with you, just the information for your specific examples were wrong/irrelevant. And a not insignificant number of people on ERA like to parrot information, even it was wrong. I agree it is most likely an agreement issue.

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It's not wrong though. Most PS+ games don't always have a specific PS+ sku. They have the games away all it's says they have various agreements and that's specific ones they don't have it setup for upgrades for whatever reason. Gamepass is probally different beacuse it does not guarantee permanent access as long as you are a subscriber and the game will leave the service at some point unless they have a perm agreement for that specific title. That's the likely reason why most Gamepass titles will have the free upgrade Vs Sony's service on occasion.

 

[spam musubi]

"The lack of direct feedback from the consumer market makes figuring out where consumer sentiment is moving into a bit of an exercise in reading the tea leaves"

and yet they wrote the article anyway

 

[danhz]

Dont really get why this is a platform holder problem and not the publishers of those games who arent making the ps+ version of their games upgradable
The rest of the article is just nothing.

 

[Apath]

.

 

[Patrese86]

Imagine the world's strongest console manufacturer for the last decade being told they are dropping the ball.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

Dont really get why this is a platform holder problem and not the publishers of those games who arent making the ps+ version of their games upgradable
The rest of the article is just nothing.

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Yeah, this is at the discretion of the developer. They could certainly make it upgradable.

Sony could certainly write a larger check I guess.

 

[JhOnNY_HD]

Easy clicks

 

[Doub]

Greedfall... Indeed greed could lead to fall if they keep up this trend.
I'm not sure who's to blame here. Could be the publisher being greedy, could be Sony being stingy and paying less to put the game on ps+ by cutting ps5 versions.

I wish they would give native ports for free and sell the addons like dualsense support & stuff, that needs non negligeable work from the developer to be implemented.
With the consoles now having PC like architecture and engines being scalable anyway (especially when you have pc versions), I don't see this being a huge endeavour. These paid upgrade paths are not too far off from scams but I see them becoming the norm sadly, if nobody complains.

Like many have said, Sony keeps up piling these smaller issues and eroding all the goodwill from the last gen, killing their reputation by death from a thousand cuts rather than bigger mishaps like the streak of the xbox one. But hey Nintendo has been getting away with a lot of shitty practices, so maybe their brand is that strong now ?

 

[Belthazar90]

I'd like to install and play just the xpac like Infamous Second Light, Horizon Zero Dawn (Frozen), etc. I don't expect or demand anything, for me its just simpler passing on playing the xpac than rebuying a full game just to get to the xpac.

I bought FF7R intergrade (plat'd FF7R at launch) and played just the Yuffie DLC and regretted it, it wasn't worth $70 just to play 6 hours of DLC. I expect something similar will happen with GoT.

To me it feels like I am slightly being punished for playing a game at release, time and time again if I had just waited a few years instead I could have gotten the Ultimate/Directors Cut/GOTY edition that has everything and now the added wrinkle of a PS5 version with full DLC. Yeah, I know this is a thing since console launch so its not a huge surprise and my last few years have actually had me NOT buying games at launch and just waiting and its paid off, but these kind of release decisions reinforce my decision to not buy games at launch anymore, which seems like it should be anti-thetical to publishers.

I was a guy happy to drop $100 for ultimate editions of games pre-release, but I stopped doing that because I felt like I was just being taken advantage of.

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First Light is available as a separate game where you play with another character... and it even comes with another Platinum trophy, that's why it's available standalone. The Frozen Wilds, just like the majority of expansions and DLCs (like The Witcher expansions, Diablo expansions, Assassins Creed expansions, etc.) was not available standalone, you would have to own the game to access.

You're always being "punished" for chosing to buy a game at launch in a sense that people will always have a better deal than you a year+ down the road... But then again you were also able to play the game a year before than those who waited for a bargain. It balances out and it's very much a matter of choice of whether or not you're willing to pay the premium to access it first.

The thing about the Deluxe/Ultimate editions is the they make it pretty clear what they include or don't, if it says it will come with a Season Pass then you will be eligible to that content when it releases, if it doesn't and just includes an extra OST or art book... then it's kinda the purchaser's fault if they buy it expecting something else.

 

[8byte]

It's an insignificant issue compared to the fact that people still can't buy your damn console.

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Which is an issue that doesn't rest on the shoulders of Sony.

 

[OsramTaleka]

Most people I know who own a Playstation don't even make sure to add the plus games to their library every month.

 

[Quellyford]

Not sure I agree with any of this.

Your getting a game for free, your not entitled to the upgrade it had for people who paid for it.

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He framed this in a console vs. console setting, and I think what he's trying to say is it looks bad when in contrast their biggest competitor is doing extremely consumer friendly moves in back-compat and free next-gen upgrades. Just my guess of his perspective judging by what he wrote.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Imagine the world's strongest console manufacturer for the last decade being told they are dropping the ball.

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I mean Sony has catastrophically blown a seemingly insurmountable lead before. It's not a guarantee that "just stay the course, people will keep coming to us when the exclusives get here" will definitely work this gen if they face extremely aggressive competition from the outside.

Businesses make mistakes all the time, and Sony is no stranger to turning victory into defeat.

 

[PLASTICA-MAN]

This isn't a PS+ issue as much as it's an issue of how Sony handles its game SKUs I thought, at least when it comes to why FF7 and Greedfall can't be upgraded to the new PS5 SKU.

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This is not just that but also the way PS Plus offers block you from getting editions that are higher or the game in bundle and other limitations that they never sorted so this forced many to not claim those lame base versions they offer cus the better editions get good discounts and they get blocked from getting them, same how we are blocked from getting Greedfall Gold Edition. In fact they don't stop there, but to show their greed and their lack of courtesy and good will, when games get better versions that replace the old versions offering everything and those old versions disappear from the store, when they offer those games through PS Plus, they resurrect the defunct old base versions that offe nothing ans force you to settle with them, they did this with Shadow Of The Tomb Raider when it was replaced by its definitive edition and COD games etc...
It can't be more evil especially after increasing the PS Plus price qnd decreasing the number of games offered.

 

[Betty]

Imagine the world's strongest console manufacturer for the last decade being told they are dropping the ball.

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They are dropping the ball though, constantly.

 

[Xeonidus]

This is an interesting take but from my experience it hasn't moved the needle. PS5s still selling out instantly where I'm from whereas it takes a bit longer for series x and especially series s. Sony has a dialed in and dedicated fan base that simply don't feel Xbox is an option for one reason or another. They're so focused on PlayStation that if Sony ever do change these policies, their fans will just see it as a big plus and be oblivious to what Microsoft is doing.

 

[johnsmith]

This is so damn silly
It's an insignificant issue because there is a chip shortage which is out of their control? Do you think Sony and Microsoft are happy about a chip shortage? Do you think Nintendo that obviously wants to launch a switch pro is happy about a chip shortage?

no it's an issue and you will get your console when you get it. Your need is not more important than structural problems when it comes to how they handle sku's between ps4 and ps5.

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As a consumer I don't care whose fault it is. Maybe they should have waited a year to launch. They could have finished some more exclusives so I wouldn't use mine as just a higher powered ps4.

 

[Jonscrambler]

Not sure I agree with any of this.

Your getting a game for free, your not entitled to the upgrade it had for people who paid for it.

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no? they are not free they are games I'm paying a subscription for

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Not sure I agree with any of this.

Your getting a game for free, your not entitled to the upgrade it had for people who paid for it.

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They are not "free" games no matter what your perspective is. They cost a PS+ subscription. IMO it's up to the developer/publisher and it is what it is, but they are blocking access to upgrades for players who are still paying money to play the game.

 

[Jiggy]

...Greedfall?

 

[degauss]

Trash opinion pieces shouldn't be posted here.

 

[OGM_Madness]

Quality of the article aside, I think there's still much to discuss about the service and expectations the player base has about the PS+ service.

I think not including PS5 upgrades sucks and are anti-consumer, whether it lands in Sony or the Publisher, that's another topic.

it's similar to how Netflix doesn't include 4K streaming in the regular subscription. It's greedy and it sucks.

 

[Ovvv]

Peak era bubble would be believing that this matters to the general consumer enough that it would "lead to their fall" lmao

 

[lost7]

I mean Sony has catastrophically blown a seemingly insurmountable lead before. It's not a guarantee that "just stay the course, people will keep coming to us when the exclusives get here" will definitely work this gen if they face extremely aggressive competition from the outside.

Businesses make mistakes all the time, and Sony is no stranger to turning victory into defeat.

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The difference to the PS3 era is that back then, they messed that up right from the start. Right now, on the other hand, it's looking like Sony has never been in a stronger position

 

[ty_hot]

Starts talking about how the demand is way higher than the production capability and because of that we can't determine how the image is shifting... Proceeds to talk about a PS4->PS5 free upgrade in PS+ games as if in the long term anyone would actually care about that enough to change their kind about which hardware to get.

Sadly he forgot to talk that while PS+ subscribers had Final Fantasy 7 remake available (even if without the PS5 version), Xbox Games with Gold for that month had Warface: Breakout, Vicious Attack Llama Apocalypse, Metal Slug 3 and
Port Royale 3...

 

[joshcam19]

These "Sony are doomed" articles must really drive traffic.

 

[Kupo Kupopo]

Missteps?

"Discontent among the chattering classes?"

This is not a well-written article.

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'deadline approaching - time for a new article!'...

 

[gothi]

Sadly he forgot to talk that while PS+ subscribers had Final Fantasy 7 remake available (even if without the PS5 version), Xbox Games with Gold for that month had Warface: Breakout, Vicious Attack Llama Apocalypse, Metal Slug 3 and
Port Royale 3...

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I didn't realise that redeeming those Games with Gold games locked me out of an upgraded version like the PS+ situation the article is about. Can you please tell me which game(s) I won't be able to upgrade out of that list?

 

[Patrese86]

They are dropping the ball though, constantly.

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It's working well so far, considering they keep dropping it.

 

[dom]

Quality of the article aside, I think there's still much to discuss about the service and expectations the player base has about the PS+ service.

I think not including PS5 upgrades sucks and are anti-consumer, whether it lands in Sony or the Publisher, that's another topic.

it's similar to how Netflix doesn't include 4K streaming in the regular subscription. It's greedy and it sucks.

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Took 180 post to get an anti-consumer comment. Era you slippin

 

[Stoopkid]

This article feels like it was written for resetera lol.

 

[My Blue Heaven]

i know this is probably controversial but i don't think it's unreasonable for publishers to determine if an upgrade is paid or not or who gets it lol

 

[Phellps]

Unless Microsoft is strong arming these devs to not provide upgrade games on PlayStation for free (which is tin foil hat areas of goofiness) I don't see how this wouldn't fall into the category of yet another Sony policy we are not aware of yet that requires them to be paid money.

I can't see how this falls on the devs?

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I don't see what Microsoft has to do with this discussion.
GreedFall being on Game Pass is a lot different from it being on PS+ and offering an upgrade.

Dead by Daylight is exactly the same situation as GreedFall. A PS+ game that received a PS5 upgrade. The difference here is that DBD offered the upgrade for PS+ owners as well. I can't see how there can be a Sony policy that applies to only one of them.

 

[Silvergun-Blue]

Love this. Very posh way of saying the vocal minority. :D

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I was gonna say whiny forum nerds but you way's more diplomatic.

 

[sangreal]

This is not a sku issue. We got a free PS5 version of sub nautica after the fact. Also when control ultimate was ps+ we were able to get PS5 after it actually launched. It's a publisher thing. Just like FF7 they had specific versions for different licenses.

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They offered control for both PS4 and PS5, but if you redeem the PS4 version it was not upgradeable to PS5. Every game except DBD has had the same problem, which points to that game being an exception

 

[Captain of Outer Space]

They offered control for both PS4 and PS5, but if you redeem the PS4 version it was not upgradeable to PS5. Every game except DBD has had the same problem, which points to that game being an exception

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Control doesn't have an upgrade path on any platform. You have to buy the new Ultimate Edition to get the upgraded version for the new consoles.

 

[ianpm31]

These "Sony are doomed" articles must really drive traffic.

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Seems like it.

 

[sangreal]

Control doesn't have an upgrade path on any platform. You have to buy the new Ultimate Edition to get the upgraded version for the new consoles.

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I'm aware -- it wasn't my example, but they offered Ultimate Edition for both PS4 and PS5 on PS+ so people seem confused. It is not an example of PS+ letting you upgrade a PS4 game to PS5, because there are no examples of that other than DBD

 

[HockeyBird]

The majority of people, including the core consumers, don't care or even know about this so it's not going to move the needle. With that said, not having those got Greedfall on PS+ to easily upgrade to the PS5 version, just seems unnecessary and confusing.

 

[platocplx]

I'm aware -- it wasn't my example, but they offered Ultimate Edition for both PS4 and PS5 on PS+ so people seem confused. It is not an example of PS+ letting you upgrade a PS4 game to PS5, because there are no examples of that other than DBD

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The example is that the PS4 version was out before the PS5 version.
FF7 they specifically made a PS+ version and had a seperate license for pause users all of this to say it's not a sku issue and it's how the agreements are made for perm plus ownership.
And comparing Gamepass is not correct either when gamepass does not guarantee perm ownership on the service.