Price drops and pandemics driving PlayStation Now and PS Plus subscriptions

Sony witnessed a notable increase in the number of PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now subscriptions over the past 12 months.

The company previously revealed that network services revenue had received a "significant boost" since Christmas, but has now shared some tangible numbers during its corporate strategy meeting. 

The number of PlayStation Plus subscribers, for instance, increased by 2.7 million during the final quarter of the last fiscal year, meaning the online service now has a total of 41.5 million subscribers. 

It suggested the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced people around the world to remain indoors, was responsible for that upswing.

As the graph below shows, the number of PlayStation Now subscribers has also surged upwards over the past year, rising to 2.2 million users in April 2020 from 1 million in March 2019. 

The console maker believes its decision to lower the price of the streaming service and add "marquee" titles helped drive momentum, and said it will be "important for us to maintain and expand this increased engagement going forward."