Sony has explained its decision to increase the cost of the PlayStation Plus subscription by 35%

Sony has increased the prices for its PlayStation Plus subscription on 12-month plans for the Essential, Extra, and Premium tiers by amounts ranging from $20 to $40, depending on the chosen subscription level. This decision has sparked discussions within the gaming community and the industry.

Eric Lempel, the Senior Vice President and Head of Global Marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment, stated that the goal behind this change is to enhance the quality of PlayStation Plus. In the previous year, the service underwent a reboot with the introduction of a tier system, adding value for PlayStation 5 owners.

Lempel also highlighted that, like many other companies, Sony is adjusting its prices to market conditions. He emphasized that Sony had not raised the prices for PlayStation Plus for 85% of users worldwide for many years, making this the first change in pricing in a long time.

It's worth noting that Microsoft also increased prices for its competitive service, Game Pass, in July, although the increase was relatively modest. The monthly cost of a Game Pass console subscription rose from $9.99 to $10.99, and the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate increased from $14.99 to $16.99.

Lempel also shared his perspective on Game Pass and Microsoft's strategy of adding their first-party games to the service upon release, a practice that Sony does not follow with PlayStation Plus. He emphasized that both companies offer different approaches to subscription services, and Sony believes that its curated game catalog and diverse services are attractive to users.

Sony also expressed optimism about console sales in the upcoming holiday season, expecting it to be one of the most successful seasons in the company's history.