More hints of what’s to come regarding a new, optimized PlayStation subscription service that is supposed to give the Xbox Game Pass a run for its money.
Sony is now pulling all pre-paid PS Now cards from the UK market, undoubtedly in the preparation for its new subscription service, set to launch sometime in spring.
The new subscription service, codenamed Spartacus, was reported on back in early December 2021 and was touted as the all new subscription service that will be a major (and serious) challenger to the Xbox Game Pass.
Sony aims to do this by merging two of its existing service PlayStation Now (PS Now) and PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) into a single, all-encompassing service, much like the Xbox Game pass.
The edge Xbox Game Pass has right now is that it caters to PC gamers, not just the consoles. PC Gamers can still enjoy the Xbox subscription service without the need for a console, and can even stream the games via cloud gaming.
In October 2021, Steam users noticed the subtle change made by PlayStation, where the PlayStation for mobile was changed to PlayStation for PC under the Days Gone game. Back then, we speculated that many more PlayStation exclusives might be coming to PC, in addition to Days Gone, Horizon: Zero Dawn and God of War, but perhaps at a much later date.
According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the new service Sony is working on will be expansive and will pose a direct challenge to the Xbox Game Pass. From this, we can infer that perhaps Sony is considering bringing its most well known and cherished PlayStation exclusives to PC gamers, and on day one.
Day one releases are one of the best, if not the best feature of Xbox Game Pass subscription, and if Sony is looking to compete, we predict they’ll have to consider doing something similar, including the PlayStation exclusives.
While Microsoft has poured all its ideas and resources into making the Xbox Game Pass a success, Sony has mostly sat back and enjoyed the popularity of their exclusives, as well as their console. While PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now are both subscription services that offer free monthly games as well as a library of games for subscribers, the subscription services are nobody’s favourite.
The overhaul was due for a while, so it is no wonder that the new changes will be geared towards giving an Xbox Game Pass a run for its money.
