Here's Why Sony Decided Not to Copy Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
The all-new PlayStation Plus launches in June and will compete with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on a more equal footing, but it doesn't include a key feature of Microsoft's subscription service with good reason.
Jim Ryan, PlayStation CEO, spoke to GamesIndustry.biz and explained why Sony decided against offering new first-party games as part of the PlayStation Plus subscription. It's a feature of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, so why not Plus?
According to Ryan, the decision came down to a combination of investment and games quality. Simply put, bundling new first-party games as a perk of paying for PlayStation Plus would not bring in enough cash to continue funding the growing number of PlayStation Studios. If Sony did decide to go down that route, Ryan explained, "we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want."
At the same time, Ryan believes the well-established process of making a game and then selling a game works really well, "we feel like we are in a good virtuous cycle with the studios, 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."
Last year, former Sony CEO Shawn Layden suggested Xbox Game Pass is only viable with 500 million subscribers. Microsoft has managed to reach 25 million so far, while at the same time spending billions acquiring high-profile developers such as Bethesda ($7.5 billion) and Activision Blizzard ($68.7 billion). When you consider 25 million subscribers generate $375 million per month ($4.5 billion per year) for Microsoft, you can start to see Layden's point.
If you're thinking Sony will change its mind and add new
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