Xbox Game Pass hits major subscriber milestone as Sony readies its competitor
Is Sony fighting a losing battle?
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The same dayMicrosoftunveiled its plannedtakeover of Activision-Blizzard, it also announced that over 25 million people have subscribed toXbox Game Pass.
Microsoft’s game subscription service is expected to entice even more players in the near future, too, with a surge likely to happen in anticipation of Activision-Blizzard’s catalog of games becoming part of the service once the deal is finalized - just like players saw whenBethesda joined Microsoftlast year.
Given the success ofXbox Game Pass, then, it’s no wonder thatSonyis rumored to be creating a rival version of the service for its own PlayStation platform.
However, with Microsoft continuing to improve upon its already fantastic offering, can Sony’s project really hope to claw back a victory in the game subscription space?
Analysis: Can Sony claim a piece of Microsoft’s pie?
Supposedly codenamedSpartacus, it’s been reported that Sony’s game subscription service will launch in Spring 2022 (either March, April or May) and provide subscribers with access to a slew of new and classic titles for a monthly fee, just likeGame Pass.
This copycat strategy would likely do very well on PlayStation consoles; thePS5andPS4are believed to have wildly outsold their respective Xbox rivals, so with a much larger player base to entice, Sony could see subscription counts soar.
However, that all depends on how exciting it can make the deal for players. While it’s believed Spartacus will combinePlayStation NowandPS Plusinto a single service - kinda likeXbox Game Pass Ultimate- what else will players get for their money?
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It’s so far unclear if Spartacus will include day-and-date releases for new first-party games, and with Activision-Blizzard soon to become a part of Microsoft, it’s unlikely that many classic titles associated with PlayStation - likeCrash Bandicoot,Tony Hawk Pro Skater, andCall of Duty- would be a part of the service for long, if at all.
Sony will have to pull something big out of the bag if it wants to take a slice out of Microsoft’s game subscription pie - if it can’t offer players the same kind of value, it may find itself alienating them rather than impressing them.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see what Sony announces, but with a launch expected to happen in the not-too-distant future, it’s only a matter of time before we hear some official confirmation of what Spartacus is - and whether or not we’ll want in on its services.
Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.
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