As over a terabyte of Sony and Insomniac Games data circulates the Internet following an illegal breach, many have taken an interest in documents that show Sony's plans for the future of PS Plus.
Internal presentations shared by Twitter user FunkyClam outline plans for "broader distribution" through mobile devices, PCs, and Smart TVs. Individual plans for each platform are outlined, though increasing subscription numbers and engagement are priorities.
The company is also seemingly planning to expand their influence over PC gaming in general, with live services outright referred to as "PlayStation Studios PC games" and the general PC player base being an "[expansion of our] addressable market".
Game streaming has grown in popularity in recent years, and Sony show a willingness to step further into the space as they question if "expanding game streaming to mobile, Smart TVs, and browsers [would] help us acquire & retain more subscribers."
Despite the protests of many gamers, the industry certainly looks to be enthralled by the promise of live services' endless cash. PS Plus may follow the model, with Sony questioning "can we make Plus a must-have subscription for players who engage deeply with F2P games and OMP live services?"
There may be benefits to look forward to, however. Speculative plans for strategic partnerships with Crunchyroll, Spotify, Disney Plus and more are given special attention, each furthering engagement or helping Sony "expand [...] game streaming reach."
As far as onlookers' thoughts go, many have taken to discussing these findings in the GamingLeaksAndRumours Reddit community. "That sounds awesome. Game Pass and Microsoft really putting the pressure on Sony", one writes, with another looking to the future: "That’s crazy. I already got Game Pass on my Samsung TV, no Xbox required. Soon enough consoles won’t even be a thing once cloud based gaming is perfected."
As one presentation puts it, Sony's goal is to help PS Plus "become an essential membership service" and "the most exciting & desirable entertainment membership service globally." Despite 2023 being a year fraught with games industry layoffs, it seems the titan behind the PlayStation isn't slowing down anytime soon.