PlayStation Plans New Service to Take On Xbox Game Pass
- Subscription offering would blend PlayStation Now and PS Plus
- Code-named Spartacus, launch is targeted for next spring
A Sony Group Corp. PlayStation 5 video game console.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/BloombergSony Group Corp.’s PlayStation division is planning a new subscription service to compete with rival Microsoft Corp.’s popular Xbox Game Pass, according to people familiar with Sony’s plans and documents reviewed by Bloomberg.
The service, code-named Spartacus, will allow PlayStation owners to pay a monthly fee for access to a catalog of modern and classic games, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press about the plans. The offering will likely be available on the smash hit PlayStation 4, which has sold more than 116 million units, and its elusive successor, the PlayStation 5, which launched more than a year ago but is still difficult to buy due to supply chain issues.