Sony Charging $25,000 For PS Store Visibility Confirmed By Multiple Devs
Sony has asked developers to pay at least $25,000 if they want guaranteed promotion and/or discounts on the PlayStation Store, according to several different sources. Similar schemes are reportedly in place on Xbox, but the Sony information has exposed a potentially insurmountable obstacle for indie developers.
The PlayStation Store is unavoidable when selling a PS4 or PS5 title - it's the consoles' only authorized digital storefront, and also the means by which developers deliver updates and DLC. This makes getting attention there paramount, especially for companies that don't have the marketing budget for TV ads. Even a short-lived spotlight can make the difference between a game generating buzz or fading into obscurity, regardless of how good it is - Among Us, for example, was released for mobile and PC in 2018 but didn't gain traction until streamers featured it in 2020. Xbox and PlayStation ports are still waiting in the wings.
Word of Sony's policies first emerged via Neon Doctrine co-founder Iain Garner, who complained about a "very successful console [maker that] does not have Game Pass" on Twitter, GameSpot says. Though Garner only named the company as "Platform X," his complaints were then echoed by Whitehorn CEO Matthew White, who mentioned time working at Platform X and is known to have spent time at Sony. Platform X's identity was further validated by two Kotaku sources and Hypnospace Outlaw creator Jay Tholen.
Garner argues that Sony gives developers "no ability to manage their games," and that studios have to "jump through hoops, beg and plead for any level of promotion" - the company won't feature a title on the PlayStation Store unless it likes it, and won't allow launch discounts without approval. The way around this is the $25,000 fee, which comes on top of Sony's 30% revenue cut from subsequent sales. The amount is trivial for publishers like EA and Ubisoft but can be massive for studios with just a handful of people. Kotaku's sources say that deals can sometimes cost as much as $200,000, a level indies simply can't compete with.
Sony has sometimes been criticized in recent years for steering focus away from indie games, whether intentionally or otherwise. Such products were briefly a focus during the transition from PS3 to PS4, but since then developers have drifted toward PC, Switch, and Xbox. The PC and Xbox in particular have become ideal because of Xbox Game Pass - this can get a game within easy reach of subscribers who might not try it if it were priced at $20 or $40.
It's not yet public what Microsoft's current rules are for Xbox promotion. In any event, most digital storefronts take revenue cuts and have barriers to promotion. Apple, for example, claims 30% from most App Store-based transactions, and only lowers this fee to 15% for in-app subscriptions lasting more than a year - a scenario irrelevant to most game developers.
Sources: Iain Garner, GameSpot, Matthew White, Kotaku, Jay Tholen