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It has been months since it was first reported that Sony is planning to launch a Game Pass-like subscription service for PlayStation fans. And a new report suggests it could launch sometime next week.
Sony has been reportedly working on a new video game subscription service codenamed Spartacus. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who first reported on the PlayStation project, now says it could be announced “as early as next week.” This follows a recent report that said the Game Pass counterpart could be unveiled in March.
The latest report on project Spartacus did not mention specific games that would be included in the catalog at launch. But the article says it will feature a “splashy lineup,” including popular titles released in “recent years.”
Bloomberg reiterated that the PlayStation project Spartacus will essentially combine services currently offered through PS Plus and PS Now. VentureBeat previously reported the three possible subscription tiers that could be called PS+ Essential, PS+ Extra, and PS+ Premium with potential monthly fees of $10, $13, and $16, respectively.
The cheapest plan is expected to offer monthly free games, just like how the current PS Plus works. The PS+ Extra will reportedly combine that with a game library that subscribers can download. Right now, PlayStation fans can download the free games offered through PS Plus and PS Now and continue playing them as long as they keep paying the monthly subscription fee.
The PS+ Premium tier is anticipated to have the most features and would exclusively offer a catalog of video games for streaming, a library of classic games, and access to video game demos. Most of these services were also mentioned in the new Bloomberg report.
While the PlayStation project Spartacus has been deemed as Sony’s response to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, the latter might still have a significant advantage. Sony is not expected to add new games (even first-party titles) on the same day of their release dates, which has been one of the biggest selling points of Game Pass. This might be quite a letdown to some video game fans, especially with major titles like “God of War: Ragnarok” to look forward to in the coming months.
Photo by Harm van de Ven on Unsplash
