Thanks to PlayStation Plus’ upcoming reboot, it’s easy to focus on what’s on the immediate horizon for PS4 and PS5 owners. With this new beginning, one significant part of Sony’s gaming ecosystem is also going to vanish forever. That’s because in orderfor PS Plus to be upgraded,PlayStation Nowwill come to an end in its current form after eight years.
Since its introduction in the US at the start of 2014, it’s fair to say thatPS Nowhas been a polarizing service. More often than not, Sony’s answer to the rise of platforms like Xbox Game Pass has been forgotten about in comparison to PS Plus. While it’s easy to envision the new combined service taking its concepts to a whole new level, parts of the outgoing model will seemingly be lost forever.
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PlayStation Now: End of An Era
As PlayStation Plus’ new tiered approach to content rolls out across the globe from May 23, PlayStation Now will gradually be shut down for good at the same time. In an attempt to be more competitive against subscription platforms likeMicrosoft’s Xbox Game Pass, Sony has decided to merge most of the former’s features into its more popular service. While it can be argued that PS Plus’ Extra and Premium tiers will carry on PS Now’s eight-year legacy, there are signs that it won’t be a 1:1 transition.
Having spent roughly $380 million on Gaikai to make PS Now a reality back in 2012, its closure still represents a significant event for Sony. Even though the service has never taken off to the extent that the publisher had hoped, its absence will be felt by PS4 and PS5 owners whenever they boot up their consoles.
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PS Now’s Latest Content
PS Now’s Outgoing Content
Even thoughthe rebranded PlayStation Plusis being positioned as the best of both services by Sony, that’s not totally accurate. While the features found within the combined service will have aspects of both PS Plus and PS Now, the content that’s going to be on offer will be slightly different. As it stands right now, over 800 games are currently available through a PS Now subscription alone. When the services become one though, that number will reportedly be closer to 700. Crucially, with the introduction of PS1, PSP, and PS5 games, a sizable portion of PS Now’s roster won’t make the cut.
PS Now’s Retro Legacy
Based on Sony’s non-committal language, it sounds as though the publisher is still actively in the process of signing deals with third-parties to bring retro content to PS Plus. However, with that context, it’s a fairly safe bet that fewerPS2 and PS3 gameswill be available compared to what PS Now offers. There’s no guarantee that the missing games will return to the PlayStation Store further down the line either. With acquisitions also taking place on a regular basis, there’s always the chance that classic IPs could end up in the hands of direct competitors as well.
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