Through an announcement on the PlayStation blog, Sony announced that it will be increasing the annual membership fee for the PlayStation Plus gaming service by $10 starting next month.
PlayStation Plus, as described by Sony, is the premium online gaming network for the gaming consoles of the company, currently headlined by the PlayStation 4. Membership in the service allows gamers to play online multiplayer, with a library of free games offered each month.
In the blogpost, Sony announced that to continue enjoying the perks of PlayStation Plus, gamers in the United States will have to pay $60 for a 12-month membership and $25 for a three-month membership. This is compared with the current rates of $50 for a 12-month membership and $18 for a three-month membership.
The new rates will take effect on Sept. 22, with gamers having to pay the new prices if they renew their membership on or after the said date.
For gamers who purchase their PlayStation Plus membership on a monthly basis, however, the price of $10 per month will not be changing.
According to the blogpost, this is the first time that Sony will be increasing the price of a PlayStation Plus membership since the gaming service was launched six years ago in 2010.
"The new pricing reflects the current market conditions while enabling us to continue providing exceptional value to our members," wrote PlayStation Plus content partnership manager Greg Lewickyj in the blogpost, with no new features being announced for PlayStation Plus.
Gamers who would like to avoid paying the increased prices can choose to purchase a new PlayStation Plus membership or extend their current membership now at the current prices. Alternatively, gamers can also purchase a PlayStation Plus gift card for the current prices, which can be redeemed after their membership expires.
The announcement was added as an update to the post that announced the free games for PlayStation Plus members for the month of August. While most gamers might not have heard of the free titles for the month, they could be surprised at the quality of the games.
Sony is reported to be unveiling two new models for the PlayStation 4 next month, with one being the 4K version of the gaming console and the other being a smaller and cheaper model of the original. The two new models will target both hardcore gamers and casual users, and will be compatible with all the PlayStation 4 titles that have been and will be released for the system.
