While I have no problem with analysts in theory, I really hate some of the bad ideas they try to give publishers. Take, for example, today’s cavalcade of opinions that suggest Sony could strip down its free PlayStation Network in order to make paid subscriptions more attractive. Sony might like that idea!
“I think it’s unlikely that they will require a fee, but think they will strip down the free version to multiplayer and not much else in order to encourage people to pay the fee,” said Michael “Dairy Lips” Pachter. His thoughts were echoed by Billy Pidgeon, who believes Sony would “best benefit” by expanding on a “freemium” model for the service.
“The PlayStation Plus program provides great incentives for subscribers, and Sony can get more revenue from advertising, item transactions and specialized services to enhance specific aspects of online gameplay such as custom content and rules for use for individuals, guilds and other groups,” noted Pidgeon. “Sony should also move quickly to shift paid content other than gaming to the network.”
The fact you can game online for free will always keep the PSN above Xbox Live in my book, but I hate the idea of taking away free services to artificially make the paid subscription look better. I’m not stupid enough to fall for that, and it’s the same bullshit Microsoft tries. If Sony wants me to subscribe to Plus, I want more features added to it, not stuff that I already had that got taken away from me.
PlayStation Network’s free service could be stripped down, says Pachter [GI.biz]
