The latest PS Plus free games bonus is launching today and will allow everyone who owns a PS4 console to access multiplayer. This means that even if you don’t have a PS Plus subscription, you’ll be able to join your friends online without having to splash out on a PlayStation Plus subscription. The PS Plus Free Trial began today at around 8am in the UK and is set to last until Monday, August 10.
Further details for PS4 gamers in the US can be found here: “Another free online multiplayer weekend is coming to PS4 next month, starting Saturday August 8 at 12:01am through Sunday August 9 at 11:59pm local time.
“Online multiplayer games sold separately. Requires internet connection and PlayStation Network account.”
With the new PS5 console just around the corner, the PS Plus subscription remains a massive part of Sony’s next-gen strategy.
Unless big changes are made to the different services available, PlayStation Plus is expected to be required on the PlayStation 5 console.
And so this week’s latest numbers reveal that things remain very healthy on the PlayStation Network, even with declining PS4 sales.
A new financial report from Sony confirms that PS4 sales are dropping and that software is being sold largely on its digital platform.
The report, which covers the period from April through to June 2020, confirms that 1.9 million systems were sold, bringing the total past 112 million units.
Another bit of good news is that there are now over 45 million PS Plus subscribers, up from the reported 41.5 million in May.
This is likely tied to the outbreak of Covid, with Sony also reporting that this may have also affected how many consoles were sold during this period.
“Although production of PlayStation 4 hardware was slightly impacted due to issues in the component supply chain, these issues have now been addressed,” the report reads.
“Sales of game software that is downloaded from the network, as well as PlayStation Plus (“PS Plus”) and PlayStation Now subscriber numbers, have significantly increased.
“Regarding the launch of PlayStation®5 (“PS5™”), although factors such as constraints due to employees working from home and restrictions on international travel remain, necessary measures are being taken and preparations are underway with the launch of the console scheduled for the 2020 holiday season.
“At this time, no major problems have arisen in the game software development pipeline for Sony’s own first-party studios or its partners’ studios.
Covering the increased in PS Plus subscription, a further statement from the company adds:
“In the Network Services space, PS Plus subscribers have reached approximately 45 million as of the end of June and, at a time when the communication network environment was under pressure, the PlayStation™Network (“PSN”) did not falter or experience any other issues and is continuing to deliver high-quality entertainment experiences.
“Operating income is expected to be 240 billion yen, flat compared with FY19 because the benefit of the increase in sales and an increase in profit from PlayStation Plus (“PS Plus”) are expected to be offset primarily by an increase in costs related to the introduction of the PlayStation 5 (“PS5”).”