PlayStation takes on Xbox with new subscription service
BNN Bloomberg
PlayStation’s revamped version of its video game subscription service went live on Monday, giving members access to a catalog of several hundred games both new and old.
PlayStation Plus, once code-named Spartacus, is Sony Group Corp.’s attempt to compete with rival Microsoft Corp.’s popular Xbox Game Pass as both publishers jockey to be the Netflix of video games. The new service combines Sony’s previous subscription offerings into a three-tiered system. The most basic level, Essential, costs US$10 a month and replaces the old PlayStation Plus, offering two downloadable games per month, a smattering of discounts and access to online multiplayer games.
It’s the top two tiers that are new for PlayStation users. The Extra tier, at US$15 a month, offers a library of about four hundred PlayStation 4 and 5 games, while the US$18 a month Premium level adds a few hundred classic games to the pool, mostly from the PlayStation 3. The service only has around thirty PS1, PS2 and PSP games, which has been a disappointment for retro gamers.
Still, the core lineup has impressed fans so far. It includes Sony first-party games such as Spider-Man and Returnal as well as recent titles from external publishers, such as Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s Red Dead Redemption II and Square Enix Holdings Co.’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Indie classics such as Outer Wilds and Hollow Knight help round out the catalog. The service ran smoothly during tests by Bloomberg Monday afternoon.
