PS Plus Subscriptions Hit New High, Sony Announces

Sony has reported its most recent earnings to investors, including an update on the number of PlayStation 4 consoles it has sold worldwide and how many people subscribe to PlayStation Plus. More than 90 million PS4 units have been sold--a figure we already knew--and now we know over a third of those people subscribe to PS Plus.

As of December 31, 2018, 36 million people are paid members of PlayStation's premium membership plan. That's an increase of nearly 5 million people since the same date in 2017.

By comparison, Nintendo announced recently that a total of 8 million people are paid members of Nintendo Switch Online, though of course PlayStation Plus has been available for far longer, with a lifespan of close to nine years rather than Switch Online's four-and-a-half months. Microsoft says Xbox Live has 64 million active users, but does not disclose how many of those pay for Xbox Live Gold.

PlayStation Plus' impressive numbers are despite the company announcing it will stop giving away free monthly PS3 and PS Vita games next month. Conversely, PS Plus members will get an increased amount of cloud storage from March 2019.

PS Plus' free PS4 games for February 2019 have also been revealed, with For Honor and Hitman going free from February 5. The final free monthly PS3 and PS Vita games, meanwhile, are Divekick and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for PS3, along with Gunhouse and Rogue Aces for Vita.