Sony Teases A PlayStation Response To Xbox Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass is likely the most popular gaming subscription service right now, and all eyes are now on Sony's response to it. In a TASS interview, when asked directly on what Sony might have planned in order to compete with Xbox Game Pass, Sony Interactive CEO Jim Ryan stated that there is "news to come."

Ryan also pointed out that PlayStation does offer a competitor to Xbox Game Pass already. "We have PlayStation Now...and that is available in a number of markets," he stated.

PlayStation Now is primarily meant for streaming. However, certain games are available for download. Xbox Game Pass games can be played locally or, if on an Android device, via streaming. PlayStation Now's market is also limited compared to Game Pass, with the service only being available in North America, Europe, and Japan.

In the past few years, Sony has already been steadily trying to compete with Xbox Game Pass. In 2019, it cut the monthly price of PlayStation Now from $20 to $10, seemingly in an effort to match Xbox's Game Pass monthly base price of $10. In 2020, Sony announced PlayStation Plus Collection, a service that gives PS Plus subscribers a selection of big PS4 titles. In a Gamesindustry.biz interview, Ryan stated, "The great first-party IPs are all there, the great partner titles, and we'd say that if you are new to PlayStation, or if you didn't have a PS4 but are getting a PS5, and you're taking out a PS Plus subscription, you're basically getting PS4 there for the price of the subscription."

Ryan also emphasized that the company will not be emulating certain parts of Xbox Game Pass' strategy. In particular, Ryan disagrees with Microsoft's tactic of releasing new games as soon as they come out on the subscription service. "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," he commented.

It's no secret that the Xbox Game Pass is a big appeal for consumers looking to make a decision between the PlayStation or Xbox console. At $10 a month, players can access over 200 games. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier also incorporated EA Play titles recently, adding a bigger slate of games to the subscription service. Ultimate includes Xbox Live Gold, as well. Subscribers essentially never have to buy a new Xbox Game Studios title again, as they are all released through the service the same day they launch traditionally. You can check out our breakdown of Xbox's Game Pass for more information.