Does Sony have any choice but to respond to Xbox Game Pass? The incredible value proposition from Microsoft has fired an early salvo in the PS5 vs Xbox Series X war and Sony’s PlayStation Now alternative doesn’t really cut the mustard.
That might be able to change, according to the creator of one of the biggest PlayStation hits ever, God of War. David Jaffe, who also co-created Twisted Metal, says Sony is planning a ‘counterpunch’ to Game Pass.
Speaking in a video published on his YouTube channel (via VGC), former longtime PlayStation employee Jaffe said pals at Sony tell him the response is on the way.
“Sony doesn’t owe anybody, the truth about what’s coming and what their counterpunch to Game Pass is,” he said, in response to some onlookers questioning the future of Jim Ryan as the head of PlayStation.
“What I can tell you is I know they are doing some stuff because I know people at Sony who have told me that they are doing some stuff. There will be a response to Game Pass.”
Jaffe added that, he’s not au fait with what the response will be, but did have an opinion on what it shouldn’t be.
He added: “What it is we don’t know. Here’s what I would say I worry about. If Jim Ryan thinks the proper response to Game Pass is to emulate backwards compatibility, PS3 games, PS2, PS1, and then to also add Trophies, which is what that patent suggests they’re going to do, and they’re also going to fold in all the movies and shit and make a streaming service, he’s absolutely wrong if he thinks that mixing it with PS Now [is the way to go].”
This isn’t the first we’ve head about a potential riposte to the excellent Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offering. Back in November, speaking to the Russian news agency TASS, Jim Ryan had hinted a rival service was in the works.
“There is actually news to come, but just not today. We have PlayStation Now which is our subscription service, and that is available in a number of markets,” he said.
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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.
