Rumour has it that Sony is on the cusp of revealing its new PlayStation subscription service, codenamed Spartacus, which could become a strong rival to Xbox Game Pass if it succeeds.
Of course, PS4 and PS5 owners will know that Sony already has two subscription services: there’s PlayStation Plus, which gives members a couple of free games a month as well as allowing them to play online games; and then there’s PlayStation Now, which gives members access to a cloud-hosted collection of classic titles on console or PC.
However, neither PS Plus nor PS Now receives anywhere as much love and praise as Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, which offers online gaming, a library of classic titles and day-one access to all of the big new Xbox exclusive games at no added cost. Halo Infinite was free to Xbox Game Pass members, for example, whereas PS Plus/Now members have to pay full price for new PlayStation exclusives like Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7.
So, what do we know about Sony’s rumoured new subscription service? Will Spartacus be a true rival to Xbox Game Pass? Keep on reading to find out everything we know at this stage.
What will you get with PlayStation Spartacus?
Trusted games-industry journalist Jason Schreier has written a brace of articles over at Bloomberg about PlayStation’s new subscription service, and we’d argue that this is the most trustworthy source of information currently talking about this situation.
The first Bloomberg piece on that matter stated that the new service “will allow PlayStation owners to pay a monthly fee for access to a catalog of modern and classic games”, with Schreier stating that several unnamed sources within Sony shared this information with him.
The article added that “the service will merge Sony’s two existing subscription plans, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now” and it will have three different tiers to its content offering. Per Bloomberg, those tiers will offer these perks:
- “The first would include existing PlayStation Plus benefits.”
- “The second would offer a large catalog of PlayStation 4 and, eventually, PlayStation 5 games.”
- “The third tier would add extended demos, game streaming and a library of classic PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP games.”
However, one thing you should not expect is for big new exclusive PlayStation games to be available on any of these tiers. You’ll still have to buy the likes of God of War Ragnarök separately if you want to play them on day one of their release.
In the second Bloomberg article about Spartacus, Schreier said just that: “The new service is not expected to feature its biggest titles on the day they come out. The upcoming God of War Ragnarök, for example, is unlikely to be offered on the streaming platform right away.”
As for the name of this new service, Schreier suggests that Sony could keep the PlayStation Plus branding for this new offering, but the PS Now nomenclature will likely be phased out.
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How much will PlayStation Spartacus cost?
A number of rumours are circulating regarding the PlayStation Spartacus price, but Sony has not yet confirmed any pricing information through its official channels. And Bloomberg’s two articles on the matter do not get into pricing specifics.
Despite that radio silence, Jeff Grub from GamesBeat and a Reddit user named MXHombre123 both claim to have unearthed some insider information. Both reports claim that the cheapest tier of the new PlayStation subscription service will cost you around $10 USD per month, which is a little less than £8 GBP here in the UK.
Both of those supposed leaks also agree that there will be a number of more-expensive tiers offering better perks, but they do not seem to agree on what those higher tiers will cost you. In all honesty, we’d take all of this with a pinch of salt until Sony makes an official announcement.
When will PlayStation Spartacus release?
It sounds like PlayStation Spartacus, which is basically a revamped combination of PS Plus and PS Now with a few extra perks, could launch very soon. Or at least, we could see it revealed in the very near future.
In the second Bloomberg report on the matter, Schreier said that the new service could be introduced “as early as” the week beginning 28th March 2022, which is now underway.
The launch/reveal could happen at any moment, then, and we’ll be sure to update this page with any new information when it comes to light.
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