SCEE CEO Kaz Hirai has confirmed today that the company will be adding a “premium level” to the PlayStation Network in an effort to speed up revenue growth from the $500 million-plus business.
Users will still be able to play games online, as well as access Netflix and the PlayStation Store, for free, so it is unclear what the premium level will give users.
“We will be building upon our current free [PSN] service offering with premium content and services to start the subscription model,” says Hirai.
Hirai then emphasized that the foundations of PSN would remain free.
“SCE will further increase sales by offering users new entertainment through the combination of hardware, software, peripheral, and PlayStation Network,” he added. “Especially in the online area, we are studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model, offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services.”
Result for: new entertainment
Nintendo will be joining up with the ad agency Dentsu to start a video distribution service for the popular Wii gaming console in an effort to establish a new revenue stream.
New entertainment content and cartoons will be available on the service, differentiating it from current content delivery services.
The service will be available in Japan starting the Q1 2009 then moving to Europe and North America after.
