The PlayStation Network has record numbers. In 2017, the numbers are expected to rise further.
During the “Corporate Strategy Meeting” for the fiscal year 2017, Sony revealed some numbers regarding their online service “PlayStation Network”. According to this, the PSN has over 70 million monthly active users. This number refers to the end of the business year 2016.
However, how Sony specifically defines the term “active users” is not clear from the available meeting documents. In comparison: Microsoft announced in April that the monthly active user base for Xbox Live (Xbox One and PC) has reached 52 million.
Further numbers:
- PS4 users spend a total of 600 million gaming hours per week on the PS4
- PlayStation Plus has 26.4 million paying members. This number is expected to increase further in 2017.
- By the end of the fiscal year 2017, a total of 78 million sold PS4 consoles is targeted. This should bring the current console generation closer to the sales figures of the PS3, which was able to sell over 80 million units just before the launch of the PS4 (end of 2013).
Another goal for 2017 is to expand PlayStation VR as a gaming and entertainment medium.
PlayStation Plus is required for many games to play them online. This service costs nearly 50 euros per year. In return, “PS Plus” members receive “free games” every month, which are often controversial in the community. Because AAA games are hardly ever included, users are instead inundated with indie titles. In other words: The free games can never meet the tastes of all users.
What free PS Plus games are available in May 2017, you can see in the provided link.
