Sony is planning to launch its much-needed Xbox Game Pass competitor just months from now, according to a report from Bloomberg on Friday.
Sony has hinted a response to the potentially generation-defining all-you-can-eat gaming model and it now appears that riposte is just a few months away.
Bloomberg says it has seen internal documents pertaining to the service, which would give PS4 and PS5 gamers access to a strong library of games for a monthly fee, just like Game Pass.
It’ll also reportedly mirror Microsoft’s approach in merging its two subscription offerings. The Sony product, codenamed Spartacus, will combine PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. The former offers online multiplayer and free games each month, while the latter entitles gamers to download from a library of legacy games.
“Documents reviewed by Bloomberg suggest that Sony plans to retain the PlayStation Plus branding but phase out PlayStation Now,” the report says.
Of course the key to success for Sony won’t just be combining these two services. To match Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Sony will need to offer new first and third-party games as part of the monthly dues. Microsoft, for example, offers Game Pass subscribers access to games like Halo: Infinite and Forza Horizon 5.
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However, that may not be the case according to Bloomberg’s reporting, which it acknowledges is still subject to internal change at Sony.
“Details on Spartacus may still not be finalized, but documentation reviewed by Bloomberg outlines a service with three tiers. The first would include existing PlayStation Plus benefits. The second would offer a large catalog of PlayStation 4 and, eventually, PlayStation 5 games. The third tier would add extended demos, game streaming and a library of classic PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP games.”
Bloomberg.
Should that be the case, it’ll be still be a notch short of the Game Pass offering. Let’s hope Sony reconsiders and makes its best PS5 games available in any streaming service. The arrival of classic PlayStation games would be most welcome though.
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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.
