First Game Pass, Now PS Plus; Also Sony Forced to Change Subscription Policies
Sony and Nintendo are modifying the terms of service for their PS Plus and Switch Online subscriptions. The changes deal with automatically charging money for the services.
Back in January we wrote about the changes Microsoft is to make to the Xbox Live Gold and Xbox/PC Game Pass subscription rules. These were the result of an investigation by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Now Sony and Nintendo have also agreed to make similar changes to the terms of use for their subscriptions (via gamesindustry.biz).
The changes to the terms and conditions are designed to comply with consumer protection laws and are related to automatic charging money for the subscription service. The director of enforcement of the CMA - Michael Grenfell - published a statement on the matter:
"As a result of our investigations, a number of changes have been made across this sector to protect customers and help tackle concerns about auto-renewing subscriptions.
Today's announcement therefore concludes our investigations into the online video gaming sector. Companies in other sectors which offer subscriptions that auto-renew should review their practices to ensure they comply with consumer protection law."
Changes to PS Plus
For Sony, the changes apply to inactive PS Plus subscribers. Those who are not using the service for a certain (as yet unspecified) period of time - but still paying for it - will receive an email with instructions on how to cancel. If there is no response to the email and the user decides not to cancel the subscription themselves, then Sony will automatically stop collecting money.
Changes to Nintendo Switch Online
Nintendo, on the other hand, is introducing changes to the automatic charging system for Switch Online subscriptions. Buying the service will no longer activate automatic recurring billing by default. This option will have to be activated manually.
