PlayStation Plus subscribers fell by nearly 2 million users since the service was launched in a renewed version (with the three subscription plans) in June of this year. The data comes directly from the report from Sony regarding the second quarter of 2022 (via Videogames Chronicle).
The decline in subscriptions in the quarter in question is actually consistent with the previous two quarters, which were also characterized by a negative trend in the service. Specifically, the total number of subscribers as of 30 September 2022 was 45.4 million, down from 47.3 million in the previous quarter.
Also the monthly active users (MAU) of PlayStation Network they decreased during the period under review. In total there were about 102 million players, compared to 104 million the previous year (and 103 million in the previous quarter). This is Sony’s lowest figure since the company started making this data public (2020).
PlayStation Plus subscribers drop but revenues increase by 10%
Despite the decline in subscribers, Sony has managed to generate profit from its online services. In fact, revenues increased by 10% compared to the previous quarter, marking the highest increase on a quarterly basis.
Basically, what is happening is that despite the decline in PlayStation Plus subscribers, Sony manages to earn more from the individual user. This is thanks to the popularity of the more expensive membership levels, which allow players extra benefits (such as access to a catalog of classic games for PlayStation 1 and 2).
Meanwhile Hiroki Totoki, CFO of Sony, expressed his optimism, saying he is confident that next quarter will see an increase in PSPlus subscribers. Leading the relaunch could be exclusives such as God of War Ragnarök.