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Bloomberg Report: Sony to Launch New Service for PlayStation in Spring 2022 Rivaling Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The Bloomberg news website reported on Friday that Sony is planning to launch a new service in spring 2022 that would rival Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service.
According to the report, the service would be available for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and would allow users to pay a monthly fee to access a catalog of modern and classic games. Bloomberg stated the plans included a three-tier subscription system. The first tier would feature existing PlayStation Plus benefits, the second tier would offer PS4 and PS5 titles, and the third tier would add extended demos, game streaming, and a catalog of PlayStation 1-3 and PlayStation Portable games.
The report stated the service is code-named "Spartacus," and it would merge Sony's current PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now services. Bloomberg stated the documents it reviewed "suggested" Sony would phase out PlayStation Now but would keep PlayStation Plus.
PlayStation Plus is required for many online multiplayer games, and the service also offers several free games each month. PlayStation Now allows subscribers to stream or download older games.
Sony did not respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg.
Xbox Game Pass is a service that allows users to pay a monthly subscription fee to access a library of games without needing to individually purchase them. The service launched in June 2017, and currently has more than 18 million subscribers.
