Sony will make a change to PlayStation Plus following an investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority. According to a report from GamesIndustry.bizSony will now contact PlayStation Plus subscribers who have not actively used their account, to remind them how to cancel, if they wish. The Company will also stop receiving payments from users who do not cancel the Service but have not actively used it. The now-ending CMA investigation was related to the video game industry’s auto-renewing policies, and also led to changes to the Nintendo Switch Online and Xbox Game Pass.
In a statement, Michael Grenfell, CMA’s Executive Director of Law Enforcement, praised the steps the video game industry has taken.
“As a result of our investigations, a number of changes have been made across this sector to protect customers and help address concerns about automatic renewal of subscriptions,” Grenfell said. “Today’s announcement thus concludes our investigation into the online video game sector.”
In an age when nearly everyone has more subscriptions than they remember, this shift in policy from Sony is a welcome one. While the company has not specified exactly how long it will wait before contacting users with inactive accounts, it appears to be a safe bet that this policy will not have any impact on PlayStation Plus subscribers who regularly take advantage of the service; PlayStation fans who use it daily or weekly probably won’t have to worry about connecting with them.
We hope this change encourages similar decisions from companies outside the gaming industry! More transparency is a good thing, and it could be beneficial for many consumers. These types of policies can result in some canceling their unused subscriptions, or being more careful about their use. It remains to be seen if other companies will follow suit, but Grenfell appears optimistic about the possibility.
“Companies in other sectors that offer auto-renewable subscriptions should review their practices to ensure they comply with consumer law,” Grenfell said.
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