I was thinking the same thing today when Jez on Xbox Two mentioned how Sony might go down the route of offering their other entertainment services to counter Game Pass. It sort of makes sense because it channels into Sony’s strengths as an entertainment company and where the company is increasingly going towards. However, it does have just a little whiff of Xbox 2013 and its desire to become an all encompassing entertainment service.
I will hold off judgement but I just find it fascinating that it seems like it is Microsoft who is laser focused on gaming and I can’t imagine that fans of PlayStation who are looking for Sony to provide their own version of Game Pass will be happy with what is rumoured.
Part of the way I already see Sony counter-attacking Game Pass in some way is through the PS+ Collection, and the monthly PS+ games, which have included around 3 day one AA games since the PS5 launch. It seems they’d much rather invest in PS+ than PS Now, but the fact that PS+ is not a continuous library (and new PS5 owners miss on previously added games) is a weakness (as it is with Games with Gold, of course).
Also, whenever Microsoft decides to drop Live Gold, this will put additional pressure on Sony to reconfigure the service they are most investing in (PS+). Will they keep charging for online while improving the monthly games offering?
On the podcast, @Shpeshal_Nick went into that rumour a bit, and it wouldn’t be a 1:1 carbon copy of Game Pass, but more like Sony proposing an all-in-one subscription with either PS+ or PS Now, coupled with music, anime, and movies.
I thought Sony’s games were to valuable to put into a subscription service. This narrative is pushed by PlayStation management and fanboys but its Sony being risk adverse.
One thing that gets overlooked and gives Microsoft a competitive advantage over Sony is it owns the infrastructure that gamepass runs on. This won’t be a case for Sony and they’ll have to pay someone to host its own service.
Hoping Sony does have a Game Pass type subscription service that has their first party exclusives day one. Even if the price is $20 a month, a nice $20 monthly rental is better than spending $70 and then trading it in for $35 or so. Plus, less hassle and more convenient.
Come on Sony, you’ve blown chunks since 2020 started and cancelling Days Gone 2 pissed me off so give me your games for a nice, good and cheap $20 monthly rental. Thanks Jimbo. lmao.
If it doesn’t include their exclusives day one, then I truly don’t even see the point. I don’t care about music, movies and TV shows on my gaming console. I have my laptop for that stuff. So much of what Sony is doing reminds me of 2013 Microsoft/Xbox One. It’s freaking weird. SMH.
It sort of makes more sense when you consider what Sony is and that is an entertainment company. They are heavily involved in movies, music, games and making big moves into anime, so what is rumoured does lean heavily into their strengths.
I agree that I personally wouldn’t be interested and it does remind you a little of Xbox 2013 whereby gaming was not the only focus. I also think that it would disappoint a lot of PlayStation owners who a lot at this point are casting an eye at Game Pass and want Sony to do a carbon copy of their own version and this doesn’t seem like it will be.
It wouldn’t do nothing for me either but through the lens of Sony it is something they can provide much more easily rather than compete with the Microsoft warchest. Sony is not stupid, they know the benefits of a subscription model and this will allow them to get recurrent revenue for their other divisions.
