Game Pass is not a game changer or a threat to PlayStation – Reader’s Feature

A reader argues that the rivalry between Xbox and PS5 is largely imagined, and that Microsoft and Sony have very different goals in mind.

Having read about the revamp of the PlayStation Plus service, it got me thinking how the differences with Game Pass highlight the very different directions Xbox and PlayStation are heading.

Since the launch of the current generation, Game Pass is often referred to as the Xbox Series X/S killer app, but while it is a fantastic service, and amazing value for money, I have never quite understood this.

The service actually launched almost five years ago, with the promise that Xbox exclusive games will be on the service at launch and that it will give you access to a large back catalogue of games. At that time, Xbox were on the ropes with a rocky start to the Xbox One, and they clearly hoped that their ‘Netflix of gaming’ would be the game changer for them and that a large proportion of their 100 million active Xbox Live users would flood onto the service.

History shows that did not happen, with only 15 million subscribers after three years, and the Xbox One being outsold at least 2:1 by the PlayStation 4 for the whole generation.

Moving onto the next (current) generation. Over the past 18 months Xbox has been throwing everything they can to grab headlines and push Games Press:

Bethesda purchase and their games added to Games Press.Launch of the big two exclusives Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 day one on Games Press.Cloud gaming added to Games Press.Proposed Activision Blizzard purchase and the promise that their games would come to Games Press.Major discounts and offers on Game Press subscription rates to attract new users and just a small additional cost if already an Xbox Live subscriber.

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