Sony new PlayStation Subscription Service: Sony is rumoured to be working on a new PlayStation subscription service called Spartacus that will compete with Xbox Game Pass.
PS Plus and Now are reported to be merged in PlayStation’s new subscription service, which is anticipated to arrive in the spring.
According to sources familiar with Sony’s intentions and papers obtained by Bloomberg, the PlayStation business of Sony Group Corp. is developing a new subscription service to compete with Microsoft Corp.’s successful Xbox Game Pass.
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According to the insiders who requested not to be identified because they weren’t allowed to speak to the press about the plans, the service, code-named Spartacus, will allow PlayStation customers to pay a monthly charge for access to a portfolio of new and old titles. The product will most likely be accessible on the blockbuster hit PlayStation 4, which has sold over 116 million units, as well as its elusive successor, the PlayStation 5, which was released over a year ago but remains tough to get owing to supply chain concerns.
The service will combine Sony’s two existing subscription programmes, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now when it launches in the spring. Most online multiplayer games need PlayStation Plus, which delivers free monthly releases, while PlayStation Now allows players to view or download older games. According to documents obtained by Bloomberg, Sony intends to keep the PlayStation Plus logo but phase down PlayStation Now.
Spartacus’ details aren’t completed yet, but material acquired by Bloomberg describes a three-tiered service. Existing PlayStation Plus perks would be included in the first. The second would have a broad selection of PlayStation 4 and, later, PlayStation 5 titles. Extended demos, game streaming, and a library of vintage PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP titles would be included in the third tier. A PlayStation official did not reply to a request for comment right away.
Despite outselling the Xbox in recent years, Sony has trailed behind Microsoft in terms of subscriptions. Sony will use this new structure to compete with an Xbox feature that has proven to be popular and profitable.
More than 18 million people have signed up for Microsoft’s Game Pass, which has been branded the Netflix of video games. Users can pay $10 to $15 each month for unrestricted access to hundreds of games. In recent years, Xbox has centred its entire strategy on the service, releasing all of its internally produced titles on Game Pass as soon as they’re available. Xbox has also made significant purchases, such as Bethesda Softworks for $7.5 billion last year, to expand the Game Pass catalogue.
According to those familiar with the plans, Sony is also devoting money to extending its cloud gaming operations. Earlier this year, Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming service became widely available.
