Sony has announced that 2.2 million people are subscribed to PlayStation Now, its cloud gaming subscription service that offers access to a growing selection of first and third-party titles.
It is a big leap for PlayStation as it has more than doubled its subscription from around this time last year when Sony said that over 1 million people were subscribed. The increase in paid PlayStation Now subscribers also comes seven months after Sony announced it was slashing its pricing, with subscriptions now costing $9.99 a month or $59.99 for one year. They previously cost $19.99 a month or $99.99 annually.
Even though PlayStation Now is doing well as it pertains to the number of subscriptions, it is worth stating that the service was launched over five years ago so it’s been a bit slow in growth. Its closest competitor, Xbox Game Pass, which also offers a massive library of games for subscribers to play, had accumulated 10 million subscribers as of April, after launching in 2017.
PlayStation Plus, Sony’s online gaming service is also growing too as it hit 41.5 million subscribers at the end of March, a 5 million user increase compared to around this time last year when Sony reported PlayStation Plus exceeded over 36 million active users. Microsoft reported that Xbox Live has amassed 90 million active users in late April.
The numerical increase may be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic that has kept many stuck at home and looking for entertainment.
This increase in numbers may be due to the coronavirus pandemic since many are stuck at home and looking for entertainment. This season has been very lucrative for the gaming industry that has already raked in a record $10.9 billion in the first quarter of 2020.