Sony Is Pulling PlayStation Now Gift Cards From Retailers

Sony has started to pull PlayStation Now gift cards from retailers in the UK. While this has already been happening in the United States for a few weeks, the action has gained more prominence given recent rumors of PlayStation launching its own competitor to Xbox Game Pass.

VentureBeat’s report says that by Friday, January 21, retailers in the UK will have to pull PS Now cards from their shelves. GAME, a UK video game retailer, sent a message out to its stores this week reading:

“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…”

Last month, Bloomberg reported that Sony is planning to launch a subscription service similar to Xbox Game Pass. It is codenamed “Spartacus,” and is allegedly a three-tier system. The first tier retains existing PlayStation Plus benefits while the second tier gives players access to a library of PS4 titles. The third tier reportedly includes extended demos, game streaming, and legacy content from past PlayStation platforms such as PS3, PS2, and PSP games.

A Sony spokesperson later told VentureBeat, “Globally, we are moving from PlayStation Now gift cards to focus on our current cash denomination PlayStation gift cards, which can be redeemed for PlayStation Now.”

Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier commented on VentureBeat’s story, noting that Sony’s recent actions are indeed pointing to the company preparing the launch of Spartacus. The service is reportedly expected to launch in Spring 2022 and the PS Now name will be phased out, which could explain Sony pulling the gift cards.