Sony is messing with the prices of PlayStation games. They change dynamically

For several months, Sony has been conducting extensive A/B tests, in which some PlayStation players go to the “experimental group” and see reduced prices, and the rest – the standard price list. The mechanism already covers about 150 games in 68 regions, and the differences range from about 5 to even 17.6 percent compared to the starting price.

Although this phase of the experiment is only about discounts, it is obvious that the mechanism is intended to increase the platform’s revenues, not reduce them.

Dynamic prices do not only apply to smaller titles – the tests included Sony’s flagship games, such as God of War Ragnarök, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Gran Turismo 7, Helldivers 2, Stellar Blade and The Last of Us Part II Remastered.

For example, a typical €79.99 game is sometimes offered to selected people for €69.99, while other players still see the full amount in the same country. During larger sales, personalized promotions also appear – some people get a much larger discount on the same title than the rest of the community.​

Although testing currently comes down to hidden discounts, Many players fear that this is only the first step towards a situation in which the algorithm will charge everyone the “maximum acceptable” price.

Critics warn that the lack of transparency undermines trust in the PS Store, and the same product at a different price for two people in one region is simply perceived as unfair. Similar practices are often found on platforms for booking hotels or booking foreign trips, and from time to time they result in penalties for the operators of such platforms.

Sony does not comment on its tests and we are not sure whether the new mechanisms will stay with players for longer. Sony may end the experiment if it determines that the reputational costs outweigh the potential benefits.