PlayStation Xbox Game Pass Equivalent Reportedly in the Works

What makes the offering even more attractive is that it has an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription that tacks on Xbox Live Gold for only a couple of dollars more ($14.99 a month). At the same time, it gives you access to even more games via Microsoft's partnership with EA Play, free perks, xCloud, and access to your account across Android, PC, and Xbox consoles.

On the other hand, Sony's offering isn't half-bad. A PlayStation Plus subscription costs $9.99 a month (or $59.99 for an entire year) with a lifetime value that historically has been higher than how much the subscription costs for years. Then, there's PlayStation Now. Sony's other subscription service also has an extensive library of titles that now includes Marvel's Avengers.

But while Sony's alternatives aren't half-bad, they're not exactly growing either. In comparison, there are rumors that Microsoft intends to add more to the Xbox Game Pass in the coming months. We're not just talking about new games at launch either. We're talking about Microsoft in talks with Ubisoft to integrate their library of games with the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

With Microsoft so willing to throw a lot more money towards making Xbox Game Pass even better than it already is, it spells bad news for Sony. It won't take too long for Sony to find their offerings obsolete if they don't plan on doing something about it.

While Sony has yet to confirm that they're working on an Xbox Game Pass equivalent, there's just far too many similar rumors to suggest that this is just fan speculation. Perhaps the most prevalent rumor comes from Shpeshal_ED via a recent Xbox Era Podcast.

According to him, Sony's answer to Xbox Game Pass won't necessarily have the same features. Instead, what Sony is planning is similar to Apple One. This subscription essentially bundles all of Apple's monthly services under one roof. This includes Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple News, and Apple Fitness+, as well as Apple TV+ and iCloud.

Shpeshal_ED then explained that for Sony, an Xbox Game Pass equivalent would look something like music streaming via Sony Music Entertainment Label, movie streaming with Sony Pictures Entertainment, and anime streaming via Funimation, as well as one of PlayStation now or PlayStation Plus, although he's not sure which of the two Sony will include.

However, Shpeshal_Ed did clarify that this could all still change. He explained that Sony's recent deal with Netflix is a major factor. The said deal gives Netflix exclusivity to all future Sony Pictures movies after their theatrical run. This will likely include Ghost of Tsushima and Uncharted, among many other video game film adaptations.

Ultimately, this is all unconfirmed as of yet. However, it's good news that Sony is working on an Xbox Game Pass competitor, especially as more competition is always good for us consumers. It's just unfortunate that there's very little confirmed information available, so we don't know what this potential service could look like once it releases.

What we can be sure of is that once this subscription releases, we can expect it to be better than what the PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now is currently offering on their own.