PlayStation Boss Hints at Major News to Rival Xbox Game Pass
It was always going to be inevitable for PlayStation to counter Xbox with something more than 'PlayStation Now'. | Source: YouTube/PlayStation
- PlayStation boss has teased upcoming news about Sony’s response to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.
- Xbox Game Pass acts as a system-seller for the new Xbox Series X/S consoles, very much as PlayStation’s first-party exclusives do for the PS4 and PS5.
- Jim Ryan offered no time frame on when the news might arrive.
Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan has teased something interesting upcoming news that suggests PlayStation is hard at work piecing together a counter to the ever-popular Xbox Game Pass.
In reply to a question asking whether Sony’s plans to mount a response to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass in an interview with Russian outlet TASS , Ryan dropped a juicy tidbit hinting at some potentially big news in the future.
“There is actually news to come, but just not today. We have PlayStation Now which is our subscription service, and that is available in a number of markets.”
System-Sellers
Ryan’s words suggest PlayStation is keenly aware of Xbox Game Pass’ rising stock in today’s gaming landscape and understands that this generation won’t be as easily won as the previous one. The cornerstone of Microsoft’s next-gen strategy has been as much about pushing its duo of consoles as Game Pass, with the Xbox Series X/S very much promoted as tools to access the subscription service.
In the same interview, Ryan notes the instrumental role of PlayStation’s stacked portfolio of system-selling first-party exclusives in the PS4’s resounding success last generation. While Microsoft has lagged behind when it comes to producing similar mass appeal system-seller titles, it’s shrewdly presenting Game Pass as an alternative to Sony’s exclusive model.
While there’s little to differentiate PS5 and Xbox Series X in terms of raw specifications, these vastly different visions of what the future of gaming looks like present two distinct eco-systems. Each has its merits as system sellers. Something echoed by the keen interest in Xbox’s next-gen offering compared to the disastrous Xbox One launch.
The Shape of PlayStation’s Response
As for what shape this ‘response’ might take, an expansion of PlayStation Now appears likely. The recent revamp of PS Plus to include the PS Plus Collection for PS5 owners (an anthology of acclaimed PS4 exclusives available to subscribers) offers hints about how the service might look like moving forward.
We could see potentially Sony bundle all its exclusives for one fixed monthly fee with even the possibility of launch day access to upcoming titles, much like Microsoft’s already does with Xbox Game Pass.
With no exact time frame for the news, it may be a while yet before we hear more, but Ryan’s comment certainly bodes well for PlayStation owners eager for a comparative subscription service.
