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Sony will not release first-party games into its new version of PlayStation Plus in a similar way to how Microsoft launches all first-party games on Xbox Game Pass. PlayStation boss Jim Ryan explained to GI.biz that the “virtuous cycle” of investment that leads to commercial payoff would be significantly derailed if Sony were to take that approach. The corollary would be that quality goes down, Ryan said.
“[In terms of] putting our own games into this service, or any of our services, upon their release… as you well know, this is not a road that we’ve gone down in the past,” Ryan said. “And it’s not a road that we’re going to go down with this new service. We feel if we were to do that with the games that we make at PlayStation Studios, that virtuous cycle will be broken. The level of investment that we need to make in our studios would not be possible, and we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want.”
“We feel like we are in a good virtuous cycle with the studios,” Ryan added. “Where the investment delivers success, which enables yet more investment, which delivers yet more success. We like that cycle and we think our gamers like that cycle.”
Ryan went on to say that Sony is not strictly committed to this. It could turn around and change its stance at any moment, based on market trends and other factors.
“The way the world is changing so very quickly at the moment, nothing is forever,” he said. “So I don’t want to cast anything in stone at this stage. All I’m talking to today is the approach we’re taking in the short term. The way our publishing model works right now, it doesn’t make any sense. But things can change very quickly in this industry, as we all know.”
For its part, Xbox believes that launching games directly into Game Pass is a good and healthy strategy, though the company has never provided solid evidence or documentation regarding the economic realities of Game Pass. Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick is among the skeptics who question whether or not a subscription-based model like Game Pass actually makes sense.
The new PS Plus includes an Essentials category that is the same price [$10/month], while PS Plus Extra introduces a library of PS4 and PS5 games for $15/month. PS Plus Premium, meanwhile, includes those perks and game trials, game streaming, and a nostalgic collection of classic PlayStation games. Check out GameSpot’s PS Plus breakdown to learn more.
