Destruction AllStars has received a surprising delay, with the vehicular combat game now set to launch in February 2021. While the game being delayed into next year could be perceived as troubling news given it’s less than three weeks away from the PS5’s release date, it now being released as a free PS Plus title could be huge news for what was previously an overlooked launch game.
Destruction AllStars was initially priced at $69.99, a steep amount considering the competition it’s up against. However, today Sony revealed that the game’s launch would be pushed back and that it would instead be available for free to PS Plus subscribers.
Why was Destruction AllStars delayed?
“We wanted to share a quick update on our plans for Destruction AllStars,” said Sony’s Pete Smith in a blog post. We’ve decided to move the game’s release from November 2020 to February 2021, where it will be included for two months in PlayStation Plus at no additional cost.”
“Destruction AllStars is a multiplayer game that’s at its best when you’re competing with gamers online from all around the world,” Smith continued. “We want as many people as possible to experience the mayhem on PS5, and what better way to do that than to provide the game to our PlayStation Plus members?”
It seems that Destruction AllStars was delayed not due to development issues, but rather to improve the timing of the game’s launch and create another selling point for both the PS5 and PS Plus. This makes the game a much more interesting proposition than it was previously, and as we’ve seen from unexpected hits such as Fall Guys, Among Us, and Rocket League, there’s now a chance it could become a key exclusive for Sony and its subscription service.
Shortly following the announcement of its addition to PS Plus, the subscription service began to trend on Twitter, an indication of the significance of this change:
Destruction AllStars now being available as part of PS Plus will see it follow in the footsteps of Fall Guys and Rocket League, two games that greatly benefited from allowing players to download them as part of Sony’s service. Those who previously wouldn’t have tried it out due to its $70 asking price will now be much more inclined to do so, all but ensuring it’ll enjoy a larger audience than it would have done if it was a retail release.
It also gives the PS Plus another game to celebrate, with Sony now in competition with Xbox Game Pass on the Xbox Series X. Sony has already revealed its PS Plus Collection, a library of top games that will be available to PS Plus subscribers for no additional charge, but it’s mostly reliant on previously released games. Destruction AllStars will give it a brand new game to show off, and one that isn’t available on Xbox to boot.
The overall success of Destruction AllStars will still be determined by the game’s quality, but if it does have what it takes to become the next big multiplayer game, those on the fence about purchasing a PS5 could be more inclined to do so when they know that they will be able to purchase the game for the cost of a PS Plus subscription. It remains to be seen if it manages to become the next Rocket League-esque breakout hit, but this is arguably the greatest shot at success it has.
