DC Universe Online, the upcoming MMO from Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will be heading to store on November 2nd 2010. In addition to revealing the release date, SOE also announced a subscription fee of $14.99 a month to play the game online.
At E3 next week, Sony is set to officially announce the premium PlayStation Network service. The service will cost lest than £50 a year, and will be called PSN+. The service is said to feature a streaming music application that’s similar to Spotify which can run in the background while playing games, as well as the option to offer subscribers one free PSN title from a choice of “two to four” every month.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president Andrew House has confirmed their plans to introduce the often-rumored premium PSN service in a recent fan in question & answer post. The premium PSN idea was revealed by Kaz Hirai a few months ago, and House has confirmed that more details will be available soon.
VG247 has learnt that Sony is to reveal plans for PSN’s premium services at E3. According to a highly-placed source, Sony will announce a large-scale monetizing scheme for PSN at the LA show next month, but it will not impact the service’s current free aspects (like online gaming).
Jack Tretton, SEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, recently appeared on GTTV to talk about the PlayStation and E3 2010. One of the questions that came up was related to PSN subscriptions. According to Tretton, Sony will only charge for the PSN if they “can come up with a compelling experience that will warrant an investment from consumers.”
A survey sent to Kotaku from IPSOS Online Research gives an indication into the type of packages that Sony might be offering via paid subscriptions to the PlayStation Network. The survey gives an indication of cost and features that will be available for each option, including: 1 one hour trial of full titles, cross-game voice chat and free access to PSOne classics, PSP Minis and PS3/PSP themes, and member only in-game content.
Last week, we reported that Sony will be starting subscription access to the PlayStation Network but core services will remain free. Kaz Hirai has confirmed that premium access will be added on top of the current services for the PS3 and PSP. Sony is planning a two-tiered subscription model for the PlayStation Network similar to – but also fundamentally different from – Xbox Live. Kaz has confirmed that online gameplay will remain free as will access to all the services the PlayStation Network currently provides.
Sony are looking to increase their profits in 2010, and part of their strategy is to introduce a subscription service to the PlayStation Network. SCE head Kaz Hirai was quick to note that current PlayStation Network services will remain free. Hirai explains, “we are studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model, offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services.”
EA SPORTS today announced that the Live Season premium service has been expanded into a new game mode for FIFA 10. “Every Wednesday is Live Season day where dynamic real-world data and analytics will be updated in FIFA 10 to match the weekly rhythm of real-world football and subscribers will have the chance to rewrite their clubs’ history,” said David Rutter, producer of FIFA 10.
