Several days ago, Sony revealed that Call of Duty: WW2 and Star Wars Battlefront 2 will be June's free PlayStation Plus games. Although both titles were previously leaked in the days leading up to the official confirmation, next month's free games somehow took many by surprise, especially since the free titles offered to PS Plus subscribers were lackluster to some degree in the last few months.
This month, Sony added Cities Skylines and Farming Simulator 19 to the service, and fans soon expressed their disappointment with Sony. In fact, some players were so upset that it led to some starting a PS Plus petition for the company to change it's May lineup. Although the petition was signed by thousands of fans, we know now that Sony refused to budge and decided to retain the two games. However, with the announcement of June's games, it appears that Sony is trying to make up for any shortcomings in the past few months, by offering not one, but two triple-A titles for the month of June, which seems to signal that Sony is trying to break a pattern that it has been following for 2020.
Sony's Pattern with PS Plus Games for 2020
When Sony decided to cut its monthly offerings to two PS Plus games in March 2019, it is obvious that the company heavily relied on its first-party PS4 titles to entice players to subscribe to PS Plus. By doing this maneuver, Sony is not only saving money in licensing fees, but it is also promoting its own games, which may lead to some players purchasing the full title whenever its time in PS Plus expires. Ever since then but especially at the beginning of 2020, Sony has been offering one big title that could appeal to a wider range of players and another that is targeted for a specific niche.
Of course, while this pattern is still not enough for some players, others were mostly satisfied with the monthly offerings, especially with the inclusion of one big game. In April, Sony released Uncharted 4 and Dirt Rally 2 to the PS Plus. The inclusion of Uncharted 4 was able to satisfy most PS Plus subscribers especially those who haven't played Nathan Drake's final adventure, and those who are interested to replay the game after years of not being able to play it. Although Uncharted 4 is an old game, the formula worked, especially since it's a free single-player title that players can finish in under a month.
However, in May, things started to go south for PS Plus. As previously mentioned, Sony offered Cities Skylines and Farming Simulator 19 that did not really appeal to a huge number of PlayStation 4 players. Although Sony stood firm in its decision to retain those games to the PS Plus, the company is obviously trying to make up for it with June's PS Plus games, which may also break the ongoing pattern of how it selects games for subscribers of its online service.
What To Expect with PS Plus' Free Games in the Future
The inclusion of Call of Duty: WW2 and Star Wars Battlefront 2 appears to be breaking Sony's pattern with its free PS Plus games. First, both games are triple-A titles from popular franchises created by big developers, which will definitely entice more players, especially when compared to this month's offerings. It is also worth pointing out that neither of next month's games are PlayStation exclusives, which could signal two big changes that players can expect with PS Plus games in the future.
First, Sony may decide to keep offering two big titles for PS Plus subscribers, which breaks the pattern of releasing one big game and one niche game. Assuming that the format established by June 2020's free games is not a one-off thing, then PS Plus players are in for a big year, which may also see the rise of subscriptions to the service.
Secondly, next month's free games also break Sony's pattern of releasing one PlayStation exclusive alongside a third-party game, which could signal that Sony will no longer rely on its own roster of games to bolster up subscriptions to the PlayStation Plus. However, given that following this pattern in the long-term may not be cost-effective for Sony, it wouldn't be unlikely for PS Plus subscribers to see a PlayStation exclusive game thrown into the service once in a while. At least, players are getting two triple-A titles for free every month, again, assuming that this pattern will be followed by Sony in the long run.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 will be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers beginning June 2, and Call of Duty: WW2 can be downloaded now.