After the devastating hit at Insomniac Games by ransomware hackers, a lot of sensitive files, including a Sony presentation, were leaked. The presentation revealed the company's concerns about Microsoft, and reflected on some of their own internal fears for the future.
After hackers leaked numerous files from Insomniac Games, a private Sony presentation highlighted concerns about the ongoing console rivalry with Microsoft. Microsoft has taken the lead with recent decisions, such as the $68.7 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard and efforts to enter the mobile market, competing against Google and Apple.
Microsoft's portfolio now boasts a wide variety of brands after acquiring Activision, including Candy Crush, Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Crash Bandicoot, and more. Sony do not underestimate the move Xbox made by acquiring Activision:
Activision provides incredible strategic value across live service games, scale in mobile and PC storefront (Battle.net)
Microsoft's Strategy A Threat To PlayStation Plus?
Sony acknowledges that Microsoft's growing audience might impact PlayStation Plus subscriptions, despite its current annual recurring revenue still looking quite healthy at $1.5 billion. Future changes are possible, especially with the expiration of licensing deals for new titles in the Call of Duty franchise.
Currently, Sony pays to get a number of exclusive in-game bonuses for Call of Duty fans on PS4 and PS5, but Microsoft has announced that such exclusivity won't continue in the future. Sony is taking steps to counter potential challenges, recognizing the need for the company to expand. However, whether this involves acquiring new companies or enhancing the existing PlayStation subscription model remains uncertain.
The leaked presentation also defends Sony's focus on full-priced, big-budget games rather than including them in the PlayStation Plus subscription on the day of release. According to the presentation, subscription fees alone cannot cover the necessary investments, making the model unsustainable. The argument is that offering top-tier games for "free" is not economically viable.
Ultimately, there seems to be no "perfect game subscription" service, according to the leaked information.