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PlayStation’s Game Pass competitor may be revealed next week

By DeAngelo Epps March 25, 2022

Sony is reportedly readying its newest subscription service for a big reveal. Bloomberg reports that people familiar with the plans of PlayStation’s game subscription service code-named Spartacus say that the announcement could come as soon as next week.

Screenshot of the PlayStation 5's user interface. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

PlayStation’s answer to Game Pass has long been rumored and is allegedly in development under the code name Spartacus. Like Xbox Game Pass, it is a subscription service that gives members access to a large library of downloadable games for a monthly or yearly payment. Bloomberg reports that a private source familiar with the project states that “Sony’s will debut with a splashy lineup of hit games from recent years.”

Bloomberg also affirmed more details about the upcoming service, explaining that Spartacus will combine PlayStation’s current subscription services, PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus. Like Game Pass, Spartacus will offer multiple tiers for subscribers. In PlayStation’s case, the more expensive tiers will enable subscribers to play classics from older PlayStation eras, access extended demos or new releases, and stream games over the internet.

PlayStation’s Spartacus may also greatly differ from Game Pass in the recent nature of its offered games. It seems that Sony is focusing on highlighting titles from throughout PlayStation history instead of putting games on the service as soon as they launch. Bloomberg reports that the service won’t include PlayStation’s biggest titles, like the upcoming God of War: Ragnarok, on the day they come out. All Xbox Game Studios titles launch on Game Pass on day one.

It remains to be seen how PlayStation’s clone of Game Pass will go over with fans, but we apparently won’t have to wait long to find out.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

De'Angelo Epps is a gaming writer passionate about the culture, communities, and industry surrounding gaming. His work ranges…

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