Sony reportedly pulling PlayStation Now subscription cards from UK retailers Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Sony reportedly pulling PlayStation Now subscription cards from UK retailers Amid claims an expanded Plus service is on the way. News by Matt Wales Reporter Updated on 12 Jan 2022 61 comments Sony has reportedly told UK retailers they can no longer sell PlayStation Now cards - which can be used to purchase fixed subscription periods for the company's games streaming and download service - in stores from 21st January, amid persistent claims it's readying to launch an expanded version of PlayStation Plus. That's according to a new report by VentureBeat's Jeff Grub, who shares a recent email circulated to store staff by senior management at UK retailer Game as an example of the move. "Stores have until the close of day Wednesday 19, January to remove all POS and ESD cards from all customer-facing areas and update their digital bays in line with this week's upcoming commercial update", the message reads. Although no reason for the removal of the cards is provided in the shared portion of the email, the move follows reports that Sony is preparing to ditch PlayStation Now - which enables members to stream and download recent and older titles from the PlayStation catalogue - in favour of a much-expanded version of its more popular PlayStation Plus service. Watch on YouTube PlayStation Plus Monthly Games - PS5 & PS4 - January 2022. Currently, a Plus subscription is required to play the majority of online games on PlayStation, and members also gain access a small collection of games each month. However, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported in December that Sony was seeking to consolidate PlayStation Plus and Now into a single service - code-named Spartacus - starting this spring. The move would see Sony ditching the PlayStation Now brand altogether to deliver a substantially overhauled PlayStation Plus service made up of three subscription tiers. The first would be functionally identical to the existing PlayStation Plus offering, and the second would give subscribers access to a large catalogue of PlayStation 4 games, with PS5 titles to follow. PlayStation Now's streaming functionality would be reserved for tier three, which Schreier claimed would also offer extended demos and a library of classic PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games. This third subscription tier would bring PlayStation Plus more inline with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which combines Game Pass' extensive all-inclusive library of downloadable and streamable titles with Xbox Game Pass Gold, required to play Xbox games online. Back in August, sources told Eurogamer of plans for a more expensive premium PlayStation Plus offering, potentially including Sony's recently-purchased anime streaming service Crunchyroll. Although Sony hasn't yet made comments publicly to suggest an imminent PlayStation Plus overhaul is on the way, today's claims it's working with UK retailers to pull PlayStation Now branded cards from stores does at least lend additional credence to those earlier reports. I've asked Sony for comment on this latest news and will update this story if I hear more. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 7 Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 7 Latest Articles Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store