David Jaffe, the creator of the original God of War, regularly comments on industry happenings and God of War-related discussions, like how he wouldn't care if Atreus turned out to be gay. On a recent stream, Jaffe addressed the debate over Sony's response to Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox has fully committed and invested in its Game Pass, adding huge games to the service and planning to have some new releases available for it on day one as well. Plus, with the recent Microsoft acquisition of Bethesda, the list of high-profile games on Xbox Game Pass has expanded significantly. Last November, PlayStation teased a new model like Xbox Game Pass, but no further information has been given as of yet.
Even though Sony doesn't want to compete with Xbox Game Pass, there is no doubt that there are talks going on behind the scenes about creating some kind of PlayStation alternative. Jaffe confirmed as much, saying that "I know people at Sony who have told me that they are doing some stuff. There will be a response to Game Pass." He also pushed back against people calling for Jim Ryan, the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, to be fired. Jaffe explained that Ryan, and Sony, don't owe anybody an immediate explanation, and that they can reveal more information when they feel like it.
It is interesting that Sony both has the PlayStation Now subscription service and the PlayStation Plus service. Both offer free games to users, albeit in different amounts and ways. PlayStation Now is primarily a streaming service, allowing players access to hundreds of PS2, PS3, and PS4 games. PlayStation Now hasn't taken off like Xbox Game Pass has recently, probably because it doesn't have a big push for newer games. It is unclear whether Sony will try to fold this new response to Xbox Game Pass into existing services like PS Now or PS Plus, or if it plans to create a separate third service.
Fans have high expectations for Sony to create something worthwhile. Though Sony's CEO doesn't see the company adding new games to a subscription model straight away, there could be a compromise to please fans. Maybe PlayStation exclusives can be added to this new service for free after a one year period? Or maybe, Sony could address many users' concerns about the lack of backwards compatibility. Especially with the shutdown of the PlayStation Store on devices like the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita, many players don't want to lose out on some of these consoles' more obscure games. In any case, players will have to wait until Sony is ready to reveal its plans, as usual.
Source: YouTube