Game On: Sony raises PlayStation Plus prices for new subscribers

“Game On” is The Fly’s weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks.

NEW RELEASES: Among this week’s most notable new game releases is Microsoft’s (MSFT) racing game “Forza Horizon 6,” which launches for PC and Xbox Series X/S on May 19 with a PlayStation 5 (SONY) port slated for later this year. Meanwhile, Nintendo (NTDOY) platformer “Yoshi and the Mysterious Book” rolls out for Nintendo Switch 2 on May 21, while Warner Bros. Games’ (WBD) Lego-themed action game “Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight” launches May 22 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch 2 version slated for release at a later date.

PS PLUS PRICES GO UP: In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Sony’s PlayStation business said Monday that, starting May 20, PlayStation Plus prices for new customers will increase in select regions. Due to ongoing market conditions, prices will start at $10.99/EUR9.99/GBP7.99 for 1-month subscriptions and $27.99/EUR27.99/GBP21.99 for 3-month subscriptions. This price change does not apply to current subscribers, except in Turkey and India, unless the existing subscription changes or lapses. The Fly notes that the news follows multiple PlayStation 5 console prices hikes over the past year amid changing market conditions.

PLAYSTATION SINGLE-PLAYER GAMES: Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst told staff in a town hall meeting this week that PlayStation’s narrative single-player video games will now be exclusive to PlayStation consoles, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported this week. The Fly notes that, for a number of years, Sony’s PlayStation unit would port games previously exclusive to PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, including “God of War” and “Marvel’s Spider-Man,” to PC some time after their home console release.

‘SAROS’ SALES: Sony’s “Saros,” 2026’s first major PlayStation 5 exclusive title, has sold over 300,000 units and generated over $22M since its April 30 release, according to Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott. Elliott noted that “Returnal,” which is made by the same studio that made “Saros,” had sold better in the same time frame during its 2021 launch, as early PlayStation 5 adopters were more likely to buy exclusive titles sooner.

“It’s a different story for Saros,” Elliott added. “It’s launched not too long after Crimson Desert, Resident Evil Requiem, Hades 2 on PS5, Pragmata, and a whole bunch of rad 2026 games. This is a more niche PlayStation Studios game. It was never going to do numbers like God of War or Ghost of Yotei. Of course, Saros is also competing with the whole cumulative backlog of PlayStation releases that have built up across the cycle. The PS5 install base is over 11x bigger than it was at Returnal’s launch, but the share of that audience actively shopping for a new niche first-party title is structurally smaller.”