Sony’s subscription service,PlayStation Plus, continues to be a go-to purchase for gamers in the console’s ecosystem. Since revamping the service in 2022 with a new set of subscription tiers, PlayStation Plus has offered gamers hundreds of games from Sony’s long history and numerous console generations, both from Sony itself and third-party publishers. Sony has also ensured that PlayStation Plus stays interesting for gamers by offering new titles every month across its Essential, Extra, and Premium tiers.
Sony’s Dormant Franchises Could Return On PlayStation Plus
Sony Has Numerous IPs That Don’t Receive New Games
More than even the publisher believes,Sony is sitting on a mountain of IPfor PlayStation consoles that have gone underutilized over the years. While franchises likeGod of WarandThe Last of Uscontinue to receive new titles, franchises such asSly Cooper,Patapon,LocoRoco, andApe Escapehave not received nearly the same love as the AAA titles. Gamers were reminded of this with the recent release of Astro Bot, a first-party PlayStation platformer that featured over 150 cameos of characters across PlayStation’s entire lineage.
Astro Bot’s representation of numerous franchises- including several that haven’t received new games in several years - inspires hope that Sony will bring back many long-dormant IPs in the future. After all, reports have popped up recently claiming that Sony is working to bring back some of its older IPs in the future, and the publisher’s Premium service has helped lead to these classic titles receiving new life on the PlayStation 5. A PlayStation Plus release for several of these games may be a good place to start.
Sony Could Revive Its IPs With Smaller PlayStation Plus Titles
If Sony feels reviving a title likeParappa the RapperorJet Motoat a $70 price would be too difficult to justify, it could experiment with releasing these new games into PlayStation Plus first.
Furthermore, releasing these kinds of smaller, digital titles on PlayStation Plus could help Sony in the long term by keeping these franchises in circulation. Putting out a smaller release on PlayStation Plus to gauge interest from fans could be a good wayfor Sony to build up anticipation for the IPsand then build new games in these franchises on a much larger scale. So long as the publisher doesn’t skimp on the quality and respects the lineage of the IPs, these smaller PlayStation Plus titles would be an excellent first step to reviving several forgotten franchises.
Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription service has been a massive hit for gamers and continues to bring exciting new titles every month. Still, with all thedormant franchises Sony has been sitting onover the last decade or so, there’s a big opportunity to make the service more enticing in the future. If Sony is truly serious about reviving its classic IPs in the wake ofAstro Bot’s success, perhaps PlayStation Plus may be one of the first places it should look to make these revivals happen.
