Sony is currently planning a new PlayStation subscription service to compete with rival Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.
The service is currently code-named ‘Spartacus’ and will allow PlayStation owners to pay a monthly fee for access to a catalogue of modern and classic games. The offering will likely be available on the PlayStation 4 as well as its successor, the PlayStation 5, which launched more than a year ago but is still difficult to buy due to supply chain issues.
The service will merge Sony’s two existing subscription plans, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. Currently, PlayStation Plus is required for most online multiplayer games and offers free monthly titles, while PlayStation Now allows users to stream or download older games. According to sources, it seems like Sony will be retaining the PlayStation Plus branding but phasing out PlayStation Now.
Even though details around Spartacus have not yet been finalized – From what we know thus far is that it could very well be a three tier service.
- Tier 1: Include existing PlayStation Plus benefits.
- Tier 2: Large catalogue offering for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games.
- Tier 3: Extended demos, game streaming and a library of classic PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP games.
Even though PlayStation has outsold the Xbox in recent years, Sony has lagged behind Microsoft on the subscription front. With this new structure, Sony will look to compete with an Xbox feature that has been popular and lucrative.
Game Pass by Microsoft also known as the ‘Netflix of video games’ has more than 18 million subscribers. It allows users to pay R99 to R149 a month for unlimited access to several hundred games. Xbox has built its overall strategy around the service in recent years, putting all of its internally published games on Game Pass as soon as they’re released.
