Sony’s competitor to Game Pass, codenamed “Project Spartacus”, has been rumored for some time now. Many different sources have reported that Sony plans to change the current PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now subscription model into a Game Pass competitor. The precise details on how the services would change have been light, except for the suggestion that there could be multiple tiers to Sony’s new service. Now, trusted leaker NateTheHate has provided the most detailed look yet at Sony’s upcoming service.
Nate understands that Sony’s Game Pass competitor will be a mixture of Game Pass and Nintendo’s Expansion Pack for its Nintendo Switch Online service. At launch, Sony’s service will offer 100 PS1 games that will be downloadable to subscribers’ consoles. He also says that PS2 and PSP games will come later in 2022 and will also be downloadable. Although he doesn’t give an exact launch window for the service, he does say that Spartacus will be announced between April and June. At launch, the service will only be available in the countries where PlayStation Now is currently available. However, the service will be expanded later.
It’s unclear right now whether PS3 games will join the service at launch. Although when PS3 games are added, they will only be playable via streaming. Nate believes that downloadable PS3 games could be an option in the future but that feature won’t be available at launch. Downloadable PS3 games could also be a feature that is exclusive to the PS5.
Unlike Game Pass, Nate says that Sony won’t be adding AAA exclusive titles to the service on day one. It would be similar to PlayStation Plus where some smaller titles are added on day one. Sony is also aware of the issues that Nintendo has had with the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack and wants to make sure that the emulation quality is of a high standard. That’s why PS2 and PSP games would potentially arrive after PS1 titles because Sony wants to ensure all titles are without issues.
Although this info is not confirmed, NateTheHate has a good track record with leaks. Hopefully, PlayStation fans hear something official about the service soon. Potentially around E3 if the April-June window is correct.