Sony's detailing the value proposition it sees in its newly-announced "premium" PlayStation Plus service, and in an effort to entice consumers, European users will get
LittleBigPlanet for free if they subscribe between now and August 3.
A similar promotional initiative is likely for the U.S., although as yet unconfirmed. The news comes as part of an in-depth
official blog post further explaining the service; first announced at E3 and launching on June 29, it provides an opportunity for gamers to get additional features and incentives if they pay monthly for the PlayStation Network.
Among the bonuses that a subscription provides is the promise of two PlayStation Network games, one PSP Mini game, and one PS one classic title, in addition to dynamic themes and avatars, for free monthly -- and players keep these even if they deactivate and later reactivate their subscription. Subscribers also receive 20-50% discounts on PlayStation Store items.
Users also get early access to some game betas and demos, full trials (one-hour access to a complete version of a game, as opposed to a demo of only select content), and automatic downloads of relevant updates to games they own.
PS3 owners may choose from two subscription options: $17.99 (€14.99) for 90 days and $49.99 (€49.99) for 365 days -- the same price as a year-long membership for Xbox Live Gold. Japan and the rest of Asia also have the option for 30-day subscriptions.
PSN as it has existed to date will continue to be free, Sony says: "We are still very committed to PSN as a free gaming service and are certainly not planning on reducing this service following the launch of PlayStation Plus," comments the company.
