VentureBeat reports that Sony intends to expand its PlayStation Plus subscription system by integrating elements of PlayStation Now into it. The analogue of the Game Pass for PS is called Spartacus, it includes three levels, which will differ in price and configuration.

There are three levels for users: Essential, Extra and Premium. These names are approximate and may change before release. The monthly fees for them will be $10, $13 and $16.

Essential only includes monthly games and access to online play;

Extra, in addition, will contain a catalog of downloadable PlayStation Now games;

Premium also includes access to games from Sony's in-house studios, a library of classic games, trial games, and live streaming.

The first package is traditional for PS Plus users. It will remain unchanged.

VB stresses that fares are subject to change. Sony expects the introduction of Spartacus to overtake Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass.

The company will continue to test the subscription system in the coming weeks. Sony is likely to announce Spartacus for PS4 and PS5 in March, however the launch of the program depends on the company's ability to roll it out.

In 2020, Sony Interactive Entertainment's Chief Executive Producer Jim Ryan said it was inappropriate to provide subscriptions for new games that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop. However, since Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media, which owns Bethesda Softworks, a number of the studio's games have been added to Game Pass. In January, the corporation announced the purchase of Activision Blizzard. With these developments, Sony needs to make Spartacus more attractive than Game Pass.

The fact that Sony is preparing a response to Microsoft's subscription system was reported by Bloomberg in December. According to inside information, the release of the program was scheduled for the spring of this year.

bbabo.Net