With 2022 thus far, it’s been a mixed bag. It seems the PS Plus free games have been playing tug of war by offering a good, decent month and then a disappointing month. Hopefully, this all changes with the PS Plus games in June 2022, as the service is set to launch the PS Plus Extra and Premium Tiers. Between them, fans will be getting access to a library of 700 PS1, PS2, PSP, PS3, PS4, and PS5 games.

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One of those games, which is not all too surprising, is Mortal Kombat 11. Although many are geared up and looking forward to NetherRealm’s next game, which is likely to be Mortal Kombat 12 instead of Injustice 3, the sheer quality of Mortal Kombat 11 cannot be understated. Its inclusion here, however, is more noteworthy when contrasted with the PS Plus free games of October 2021. Overall, the month wasn’t too bad, but it was disappointing for a few reasons.

PS Plus Extra/Premium May Shine a Light on Bad PS Plus Months

First and foremost, October is “spooky season.” It’s the time of Halloween. While many services embraced the season, PS Plus really did not. The PS Plus free games of October 2021 were Hell Let Loose, PGA Tour 2K21, and Mortal Kombat X. PGA Tour 2K21 didn’t really have the mass appeal a PS Plus game needs, so Hell Let Loose was the shining star of the month (deservedly). It’s a great game, but it’s still not a Halloween game. In this regard, Mortal Kombat X rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way.

PS Plus fans got the base version of Mortal Kombat X. Everyone knows the fighting game is gruesome, but that doesn’t really define Halloween. Had it been the upgraded Mortal Kombat XL version of the game, fans would have gotten several bonus characters based on slasher or horror films. It would have been perfect, but Mortal Kombat X itself was not the most appealing venture.

This led to another point of contention. If only the base game was on the menu, why not opt for Mortal Kombat 11 instead? It had already been out for two years at this point, and while it still would not have checked the Halloween box, it would have been a better game for the buck. Now, while it’s only speculation, it seems fans now know why it was Mortal Kombat X and not Mortal Kombat 11: PS Plus Extra.

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PS Plus Extra Adding Mortal Kombat 11 Likely Meant That October 2021 Could Not

While the new PS Plus tier system releases next month, it’s worth noting how there have been rumors, speculation, and reports on this for several months now. It’s not something Sony put together overnight, and it could have been in the works for years before it became a topic of such talk. Now, that may not exactly be the case, but PS Plus Extra being a behind-the-scene thing in October 2021 adds up.

It could explain many questionable choices for PS Plus free game lists between the PS5’s release and now, but Mortal Kombat 11 is likely the clearest example. If Sony knew it was working on this subscription service and knew it wanted to include big, genre-defining games, then Mortal Kombat 11 was likely an early and easy choice. The problem is, of course, that it couldn’t offer Mortal Kombat 11 in October and then turn around and put it on this service some months later.

Several of the PS Plus games that are releasing next month have been free before, but it’s not likely most of that was intentional. With Mortal Kombat 11, it makes sense Sony would avoid this scenario. It doesn’t change October, nor does it change the upcoming lineup, but it raises interesting questions about how much planning went into the tier service and how far back that goes. It doesn’t explain why it didn’t go with Mortal Kombat XL either, but at this point, that is water under the bridge.

PS Plus and its tiers have promise, and it’s up to Sony to fulfill that promise. If a few hits and lackluster offerings over the past few months help do just that, then it’s a good gamble. How PS Plus Extra and Premium are discussed a year from now will be the ultimate test if the gamble was worth it.

PS Plus Premium releases June 13.

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