PC Gamer is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
By published
Codenamed Spartacus, the subscription-based service will combine the features of PlayStation Plus and PS Now.
A new Bloomberg report says Sony will reveal its Game Pass-like subscription service for PlayStation consoles, codenamed Spartacus, sometime next week. The service, rumors of which first surfaced in late 2021, will reportedly combine Sony’s two current subscription services—PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus—with multiple tiers providing access to different selections of contemporary and classic PlayStation games.
PlayStation Now is already available on PC and works pretty well, and while it might seem a little less essential than it did a couple years ago thanks to Sony’s recent embrace of our platform of choice, its extensive selection of PS2 games means it’s still an especially valuable tool for gamers who want to get down with retro classics on their current PCs.
The other side of that equation—that is to say, new game releases—seems oddly deficient, however. Spartacus will apparently not provide access to Sony’s biggest new releases, such as the upcoming God of War: Ragnarok, on launch day. This is very different from Microsoft’s Game Pass services, which make a point of offering access to major game releases—stuff like Starfield, Redfall, and The Outer Worlds 2, to name a few—the moment they’re available. That, to me, is the main reason Game Pass is such a great deal and big success: The back catalog is impressive, but launch-day access to the biggest new games is the killer feature.
Interestingly, while Game Pass has been a big winner for Microsoft and Sony is looking to slice a piece of the pie for itself, industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls said at this year’s GDC that he doesn’t believe the industry is on the verge of a «Netflix of games»-style takeover by either of them, or anyone else. Data firm Ampere Analysis says subscriptions only amount for 4% of the total games market, and predicts that will rise to 8.4% by 2027—an awful lot of money, yes, but still a relatively small piece of the whole. They could be underestimating the trend, of course, but even if they’re off by half it’s still a significant minority of the overall market.
While PlayStation’s new subscription service is expected to be officially unveiled next week, there’s currently no sign as to when it will go live. We’ll let you know when we know.
Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.
Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.
Thank you for signing up to PC Gamer. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
