According to PushSquare, Sony has quietly removed the expiration dates for PlayStation Plus games. Clicking through to a game’s page from the Last Chance doesn’t show when that game will no longer be available to “purchase” through Sony’s subscription service.
PlayStation Plus’ relaunch this past June saw the addition of the aforementioned Last Chance tab. It was a handy way to let players know when a game would soon be leaving, and incentivize them to add that title to their library.
Without a reason given, developers can only speculate if this move will drive more players to download games on the service, or have the opposite effect. Last month, PlayStation’s Shuhei Yoshida referred to the service as an additional way of “lifecycle management” for third-party titles, and potentially help boost sales of those games via word of mouth.
For comparison, Xbox Game Pass and video streaming services openly let users know when a product is about to leave the service, making Sony’s sudden omission of the feature all the more curious.
PushSquare reported (and Game Developer checked to confirm) that Rez Infinite, the current game in the Last Chance tab, lacks an expiration date on its page.
Notably, Sony’s monthly blog for incoming PlayStation Plus additions doesn’t give expiration dates for games.
Games in PlayStation Plus’ Essential tier are available for about a full month, and always have the option to be downloaded after the game leaves the tier. But how long a game lasts on the other two tiers, Extra and Premium, isn’t exactly clear. And unlike Essential games, once a game on either tier is gone, it’s no longer accessible to users.