PS Store Now Charging Some PS5 Players More Than Others in US

The state of the gaming industry is always in flux, due in part to the way that digital platforms have become the norm for new releases. With old supply and demand issues largely countered by digital releases, online stores are now able to adjust their prices for games with ease — and while this can come with the benefit of surprisingly lucrative sales, it also comes with potential drawbacks, like games being priced differently or being pulled from platforms with little warning.

The former has become an increasingly public issue for Sony, with dynamic pricing impacting game sales in markets like Europe. The practice involves some players getting better sales than others, leading to calls of unfair business practices by the company. With dynamic pricing seemingly hitting North America, players are becoming more frustrated than ever with one of gaming’s biggest companies.

Sony’s Dynamic Pricing Is Impacting US Players

PlayStation fans have been edgy recently, especially in light of dynamic pricing coming to certain regions like Europe and Asia. The practice sees the Sony digital store increasing or decreasing the price of certain sales based on region, timing, and how much certain players engage with the PSN Store. As noted by Cheap Ass Gamer on social media, it looks like the practice has officially come to North America, with the account noting Astro Bot as an example. While many players can get the game for $39.59 at a 34% discount, Cheap Ass Gamer found that he was being offered the game for $26.99 once logged out, making for a 55% discount.

Cheap Ass Gamer and others have suggested that this increased discount for some players over others is due to the lack of activity in using the PSN Store from certain accounts, with the lower prices applied to players who can be said to have been more hesitant to buy games through that platform. It’s unknown exactly how the algorithm for that process works; however, this raises questions of how it is exactly applied and how it could be used for targeted sales in the future. This has led to calls among players to have the practice discontinued, with online polls showing that a majority of players are against the very idea of dynamic pricing. Despite the unpopularity of the concept with players, Sony seems to be moving forward with the practice as a sales tactic.

PlayStation Players Really Don’t Like Dynamic Pricing

Although the dynamic sales seem to be so far limited to games that are already on sale, it sets a worrying precedent for the future of the franchise. Sony’s decision to change the sales based on the user could have serious impacts on the success of titles, with bigger sales for certain players at certain times potentially undercutting third-party releases or playing on certain subsections of players. It’s especially frustrating for PlayStation PLUS subscribers and players who already regularly use the PSN Store, as the increased prices for them can feel like a punishment for their established brand loyalty. Even just the idea that some players are getting better sales than others has led to cries among players of Sony treating their consumers unfairly, favoring certain players over others in a bid to squeeze every dollar out of every possible player.

As of this writing, Sony has not formally confirmed the dynamic PS5 pricing and has offered no comment on the negative attention it’s brought. It’s also unclear just how widespread this practice is being applied, as Astro Bot seems to be the specific title most cited as experiencing dynamic pricing. This could be seen as a test run by Sony, testing the waters to gauge how the player base responds to the practice. If that’s the case, then the overwhelmingly negative reaction — including calls for the FCC and other government bodies to get involved — should indicate that players are unhappy with the idea. It remains to be seen, however, whether Sony backs off in response or chooses to double down on the practice.