It’s difficult to get concrete data out of Sony. The publisher rarely shares specific numbers, so we jumped when its public relations reached out to share some insight into the company’s online service, PlayStation Network, and the subscription-based PlayStation Plus.
Since the publisher started offering the Instant Game Collection, which is a lineup of full-retail games that are available at no extra charge to PlayStation Plus members, the five most-downloaded IGC games include:
- Infamous 2
- LittleBigPlanet 2
- Just Cause 2
- Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
- Gotham City Imposters
That list is in no particular order.
The entire Instant Game Collection generated over 13 million hours of gameplay and 12 million unlocked trophies.
Gaming’s biggest trade show, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), was a big catalyst for Sony. Since that event, total gameplay hours increased by nearly 200 percent across both disc and digital releases.
In my interview with PlayStation senior director of digital platforms Jack Buser, he mentioned that PlayStation Plus’s customer-satisfaction rate is 97 percent, and 93 percent of current subscribers intend to renew their memberships. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider that PlayStation Plus sales more than doubled during the week of E3.
Next, Sony plans to launch PlayStation Plus on its latest handheld console, the PS Vita. The media conglomerate’s gaming division will roll out the supplemental service for the portable device beginning in November. Sony will have 3-month and 12-month PS Plus subscription cards in retailers across the country, and a single membership will be valid for the service on both the PlayStation 3 and Vita.