Back in mid February, we speculated what we might expect from Project Spartacus, the rumoured codename for PlayStation’s Xbox Game Pass competitor, and what it would need to do to compete. Gaming’s move to include subscription business models is so financially compelling that Jim Ryan, CEO at Sony PlayStation, hinted at plans for PlayStation’s own subscription service when questioned back in January 2021. Since then, leaks have surfaced on the codename of the service ‘Project Spartacus’, as well as some details on what we can expect from it.
This is exciting fans everywhere, with gamers eager to see just what PlayStation has up their sleeves. With their compelling library of games, there is little doubt in mind that it will be hugely successful. With service games being added to the PlayStation library, existing ‘aaa bangers’ already abundant, the ‘service wars’ seem finely poised to start. The only real question being when?
How will Project Spartacus differ from Xbox Game Pass?
With Xbox Game Pass continuing to grow quickly, PlayStation do have a job to do to get this service to the levels of Xbox Game Pass. Luckily, it is quite within their capabilities! With the service widely expected to be formally announced in Summer, after the latest rumours suggest it is now in closed testing. Recent leaks suggest that Project Spartacus will differ from Xbox Game Pass in a few key ways. Let’s take a look at these ‘leaks’, which come courtesy of Venture Beat’s Jeff Grubb! Jeff has a pretty good track record with things and if what he said does turn out to be true Project Spartacus should hit the ground running. If you don’t already, follow him on Twitter!
But back on topic, aside from a different content offering, the main differences are expected within the tiers. Yes, Game Pass does have tiers in the form of Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. But PlayStation is rumoured to have mixed things up a bit with their tiers. Essentials, Extras and Premium are the rumoured names, to be priced at $10, $13 and $16 respectively. Here is what the tiers are supposedly including: Essentials, which we are told is very similar to the PS+, offering a collection of games (though substatially smaller than the other tiers) that gamers can download and play, so long as they stay subscribed. Extras, which includes a larger catalogue of games, such as those included with PlayStation Now, and is much more similar to Xbox Game Pass, according to Jeff Grub. Premium, again according to Jeff Grubb, is said to include all the features from previous tiers, as well as a selection of classic games, game trials and streaming capabilities. It will be exciting to see if this turns out to be true when Sony formally announce it.
So far, there is no news on day one releases into the service; although keep in mind this is something that didn’t happen to Xbox Game Pass until a year or so into it’s lifecycle. Day one PlayStation exclusives though would be EPIC, I’m sure we can all agree on that!
When Project Spartacus releases…
If true, I guess they will both be ‘must have’ services. Day one games in Xbox Game Pass does seem to add more value to me personally, but it seems like something PlayStation will eventually do anyway. Regardless of this, Spartacus is still and instasub. If Jeff’s intel is proven wrong, then gamers everywhere can still be excited to see what they have to come. Follow the link to check our what we thought Project Spartcaus would need to do to comepte with Xbox Game Pass.
