Sony admits PlayStation Plus members who stacked new subscriptions were being made to pay difference
Blames "technical error" and deploys "fix" following backlash at Asian launch.
This week's initial rollout of Sony's new PlayStation Plus - limited, so far, to countries in Asia - has been plagued by complaints from fans who stacked subscriptions ahead of time and unexpectedly found Sony wanted them to cough up the difference when converting their membership to its new tiers.
Numerous users reported via social media that they had been told they would have to pay up for any difference in pricing - achieved via stacking or from redeeming discounted PlayStation Plus offers - for the full term of their remaining subscription balance. It was a situation that left some with eye-opening charges to suddenly cough up.
Now, following general confusion and a good deal of online backlash, Sony has finally acknowledged the situation and termed it as a "technical error" which "has been fixed".
"Due to a technical error, players in Asia who have previously purchased a PlayStation Plus membership at a discount have been incorrectly charged for their upgrade pricing," Sony said via its Ask PlayStation Twitter account. "This error has been fixed and impacted players will receive a credit. We thank you for your patience."
The description of this as a "technical error" is surprising, as users had reported seeking help from local PlayStation support staff, only to be told this policy was part and parcel of PlayStation's upgrade programme.
Eurogamer contacted PlayStation earlier in the week for an explanation of the charges, but did not receive a response.
Sony's comment comes ahead of PlayStation Plus' further rollout next week in Japan, before it finally arrives in North and South America on 13th June, then Europe and Australia on 23rd June.
The launch of PlayStation Plus in Asia this week has seen the service arrive with far fewer games in its catalogue than fans had been expecting. For now, the list of PS5, PS4 and retro titles available sits around 270, far fewer than Sony's previously-stated 700 estimate.
This initial Asian launch lacks PS3 game streaming, which will add a number of additional titles to the Plus Premium catalogue, but appears to suggest a more gradual rollout of games to the programme than anticipated.