UPDATE: Sony has now announced its new PS Plus subscription service, which you can find more about by clicking this link.
Project Spartacus is rumoured to launch this week, coming in as the Sony alternative to Microsoft’s popular Xbox Game Pass solution.
PlayStation Spartacus is still in its early days, with Sony staying pretty tight-lipped about the service. So, for anyone wondering what the next streaming platform could look like, here is everything we know.
What is Project Spartacus?
Spartacus will be the Sony version of Xbox Game Pass, which, in theory, should be a monthly subscription service for PlayStation owners.
Sony is expected to merge its PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus services into one subscription package, with multiple tiers offering varying features. The top-tier subscription is expected to give players access to extend demos and allow players to stream games over the internet.
Release date
Project Spartacus could launch as early as this week, according to Bloomberg.
However, Sony itself has not made any comments on the launch of the platform, so it’s possible we may be waiting a lot longer to see Spartacus on our screens.
Price
Seeing as this service is in direct competition with Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, we may see Spartacus start out fairly cheap, as an incentive for newcomers.
Right now, PS Plus costs £49.99/$59.99/€59.99 for a year, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs £10.99/$14.99 per month, which ultimately will cost more if used for the same 12-month period.
Seeing as Spartacus may come in various tiers, there may be less expensive options available.
Features
Looking back to Bloomberg, the service is expected to come in three different tiers, with one expected to be similar to PlayStation Plus, while the other two will add PS5 and PS4 games, as well as access to extended demos and the chance to stream games via the internet.
Bloomberg also mentioned that the highest-paid tier could include a library of games from systems like the PS2 and the PSP, though that has not been confirmed.
It’s also believed that Spartacus will include PlayStation exclusives, in the same vein as Microsoft offering up games via Game Pass. However, it’s unlikely that Sony will offer the likes of God of War: Ragnarok on the first day of launch, and so it’s unlikely that Project Spartacus will be as compelling as Game Pass which provides access to the likes of Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 from day one.
What will happen to PlayStation Plus?
According to an industry insider, Tom Henderson (via Twitter), the service will merge both PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus into one combined subscription service.
It’s not clear whether Spartacus will replace PS Now and PS Plus in their entirety, although Sony is already pulling PlayStation Now cards from some retailers in the UK, suggesting that the service is about to change.
It’s also been suggested that the service may offer backwards compatibility and access to games from platforms like the PS1, PS2 and PS3, which is what the existing PS Now service offers.
Be sure to keep checking back in with Trusted Reviews, as we will be updating this article whenever new information about Project Spartacus becomes available.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
