PlayStation Plus’ most notable free April offerings come from Microsoft

By Tomas Franzese March 27, 2024

Four players stand together in the 4v4 PvP mode of Minecraft Legends. — Minecraft

Sony outlined all the new offerings PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers can expect in April; surprisingly, Microsoft is the company behind two of this month’s four offerings, Minecraft Legends, and the Overwatch 2 Mega Bundle.

On April 2, PS Plus can get those two things free of charge in addition to Immortals of Aveum and Skul: The Hero Slayer. Immortals of Aveum is a single-player shooter where players use magic instead of weapons. Although the thing it’s most notable for is flopping upon its release, Immortals of Aveum is still a solid shooter that you might have missed out on, and you should give it a shot now that you can get it through PS Plus. Meanwhile, Skul: The Hero Slayer is a tough 2D platformer roguelike that should entertain fans of that genre for quite some time.

The bonuses Microsoft is offering PS Plus subscribers this month are definitely the biggest draws, though. Minecraft Legends adapts Mojang’s popular survival crafting game into the real-time strategy genre. It’s surprisingly approachable despite the fact that RTS games are usually tough to get into. As such, those who own a PlayStation and not an Xbox should put the console wars aside for a bit and check it out if that idea sounds intriguing.

Overwatch 2 is a free-to-play shooter from Blizzard Entertainment, which Microsoft acquired last fall. Although the recent news of PvE story content being canceled is disappointing, PS Plus players can get the Mega Bundle for free and easily get into Overwatch 2’s PvP multiplayer experience. The Mega Bundle includes skins for Sigma, Symmetra, Sojourn, Junker Queen, Ramattra, Kiriko, Lifeweaver, Illari, and Mauga, in addition to five tier skips for any battle pass.

The Overwatch 2 Mega Bundle, Minecraft Legends, Skul: The Hero Slayer, and Immortals of Aveum will all be available for free to PS Plus Essential subscribers between April 2 and May 6.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

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All through 2022 Sony has been planting seeds for what it hopes to be major new growth opportunities outside of its console and first-party studio output. From mobile and VR to live service, subscriptions, and even multimedia pushes, all signs point to 2023 being a redefining year for the PlayStation brand.

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The Last of Us Part I is one of the most notable PlayStation 5 games to launch this fall. It’s also one of the year’s most controversial titles.
Despite the acclaim associated with The Last of Us series, there is heated debate surrounding the remake’s $70 price tag, which is more than the original release and The Last of Us Remastered cost at release -- even though it's lacking the multiplayer mode that came with both. This situation turned what should be a certified slam dunk for Sony into a divisive release, and Sony could fix it with one key change: making The Last of Us Part I a day-one title on PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium.
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As The Last of Us is one of Sony's most popular modern franchises and has a TV show on the way, it's understandable why Sony and developer Naughty Dog eagerly want a modernized version of The Last of Us Part I on store shelves at full price. Still, those who've already bought the game twice and aren't impressed by the visual and accessibility overhaul don't seem as compelled to pick up the game for the third time. Sony would remove this significant roadblock plaguing The Last of Us Part I by putting the game on a subscription service.
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There are plenty of examples showing why this would be a wise idea. The Age of Empire series' Definitive Edition games showed how well remakes work on subscription services. Several years after their original release, many players are still actively engaged with the first three Age of Empire games. While interested players can still purchase the remakes individually, putting those games on Game Pass for PC on day one ensured that the community didn't have to pay full price for a game they were already playing daily. Instead, they could just get the remake through their subscription and continue.
The Last of Us Part I is in a similar situation, even with the multiplayer content removed. This demonstrates why a subscription service release could lessen some of the negative stigmas around the game. The successful Stray, which was included in PS Plus at launch, shows that day one PlayStation Plus games can still generate plenty of positive buzz. The game's subscription service availability ensured that the conversation stayed on the game's cute cats, not the fact that it was a $30 game that only lasted about five hours.
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Despite all of those factors, Jim Ryan made it clear that he does not want AAA PlayStation Studios games on PlayStation Plus Premium or Extra on day one during an interview with Games Industry.
“We feel like we are in a good virtuous cycle with the studios where the investment delivers success, which enables yet more investment, which delivers yet more success,” Ryan said. “We like that cycle and we think our gamers like that cycle … We feel if we were to do that with the games that we make at PlayStation Studios, that virtuous cycle will be broken. The level of investment that we need to make in our studios would not be possible, and we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want."
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