PlayStation could launch its own version of Xbox Game Pass as competition for subscriptions hots up

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PlayStation is preparing to launch its own version of Xbox’s Game Pass, according to a new report.

Sony has been decidedly outselling Microsoft on consoles in recent years. But it has been struggling to keep up with the expansion of Game Pass, which offers Xbox players the opportunity to pay a monthly fee for access to a wide library of games.

Now Sony is preparing to launch its own version, code-named Spartacus and offering similar features, the report from Bloomberg claimed. It will be available on the PlayStation 4 as well as the new PlayStation 5, which remains difficult to actually find in stores.

It is expected to launch in Spring and will join up the two existing subscriptions: PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. The former is required to play online and includes access to a small number of free games each month, with PlayStation Now giving access to games but only older titles.

In the new plans, PlayStation could offer three tiers under the existing PlayStation Plus branding. The first would be the normal membership, which offers very few games; the second would have a number of newer PlayStation 4 and 5 games; and another third tier would offer more demos, streaming of games and a library of classic titles stretching back to the original PlayStation.

Microsoft only offers one level of membership to Game Pass at the moment, but it does include a variety of retro and new games, including some of the very latest releases.

Sony is also preparing to compete with Microsoft on streaming game services, the same report claimed. Recently, Microsoft has been expanding its Cloud Gaming service, where players can access a remote console over the internet, but Sony does not offer any comparable platform.

PlayStation did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent.