Sony tests “flexible game prices” on PlayStation Store PS5 – Game News

Sony is said to be testing a “flexible pricing mechanism” for the above game PlayStation Store of PlayStation 5, allowing some users to see “different prices” for the same game.

This information was discovered by the game price tracking site PSpricesthe unit said it has recorded price changes in more than 100 different games. During testing, some users were shown personalized reduced prices, up to about 17.6% off the standard price.

Flexible pricing, also known as “dynamic pricing” or “surge pricing”, is a pricing strategy that allows businesses to adjust product prices based on market demand or each customer’s shopping behavior. This method has been applied in many industries such as airlines and ride-hailing services, but has also caused controversy because it is considered “unfair” when different customers have to pay different prices for the same product.

According to PSprices, Sony is conducting an A/B testing model to study the “sensitivity level” of users to the selling price. In this test, users are randomly divided into different groups, including a control group and an experimental group. Depending on the group they’re assigned to, they may see different prices for the same game on the PlayStation Store.

Currently recorded price differences range from about 5% to 17.6%. This test includes many prominent game titles, including “first-party” products (games made by Sony studios) such as God of War Ragnarök, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Helldivers 2, Stellar Blade, Gran Turismo 7 and The Last of Us Part II.

Additionally, games from many third-party publishers are also covered by the test, including companies like 2K Games, Focus Entertainment, Deep Silver, Bethesda, and Rockstar Games.

According to PSprices data, Sony has been testing this pricing mechanism for at least three months in about 30 different regions. The scope of testing is now said to have expanded to nearly 70 regions globally, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Two major markets, the US and Japan, are not currently on the testing list. Some sources suggest that this may be related to stricter regulations on price transparency in these two countries.

Information about the “dynamic pricing” test appears in the context that Sony’s business situation is recording positive results. In its most recent financial report, the company raised its gaming revenue forecast by 4% and operating profit by 2% for the fiscal year ending April 1. Sony Corporation’s overall profit also increased by about 22% over the same period last year.

Sony said revenue from the PlayStation Plus service contributed significantly to last quarter’s results, as more users switched to higher-end service packages. Additionally, the number of monthly active accounts on PlayStation reached a record 132 million in December, while total gaming hours on the platform also continued to increase year over year.