The console wars continue! PlayStation’s CEO, Jim Ryan, teases fans with a possible answer to Xbox Game Pass. In an interview with TASS, Ryan was directly asked about future subscription services, with the PlayStation head answering with “there’s actually news to come.” Also pointing out the PlayStation Now, the company’s current subscription service is “available in several markets.” Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass is the gaming industry equivalent to a Netflix subscription. The service supplies gamers with 100+ titles, ranging from indies to huge blockbusters. Xbox Game Pass is available to users at a monthly fee of $10 dollars. Players can also upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which offers access to EA’s subscription service. Meanwhile, PlayStation has been steadily increasing its PlayStation Now selection in order to compete with Microsoft. Sony also introduced the PlayStation Plus Collection with the PS5 release. The collection boasts 18 major titles from the next-gen console’s predecessor, the PlayStation 4.
In the past, Jim Ryan has criticized the Xbox Game Pass model of releasing new games to the subscription service. In an interview from September, Ryan tells GameIndustry.Biz, “we are not going to go down the road of putting new releases titles into a subscription model. These games cost many millions of dollars, well over $100 million, to develop. We just don’t see that as sustainable.” Unfortunately, this means the new subscription service will probably not be stocked with the latest games Sony has to offer.
An Xbox Game Pass subscription definitely helps out smaller developers with exposure to customers. However, in the grand scheme of things, it’s still uncertain whether new games create more revenue through the subscription service. The news of a possible equivalent to Xbox Game Pass is still very exciting for PlayStation players. There’s still no word on when the subscription service will be available to gamers.