Microsoft spent 2021 proving that it had the ultimate video game subscription service in the Xbox Game Pass, leaving Sony in the dust with an extensive library of updated games including day one offerings. Not even the combined might of both PS Plus and PS Now can hold a candle to what the Game Pass has to offer at a lower price point. However, it appears that Sony isn't taking this one lying down, as evidenced by the recent rumors and its latest move.

In an unprecedented turn of events, Sony is welcoming its first day one title for the PS Now in March with Shadow Warrior 3.

Technically, PlayStation Now has done this before, twice in fact. The first time was with Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, but it's not exactly the biggest game and most people associate it with the PS Plus since it was also released on Sony's more popular subscription service on day one. Meanwhile, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was released in 2019 in Japan but didn't make it to the rest of the world until two years later where it found a "home" on PS Now at launch.

Having said that, Shadow Warrior 3 isn't the biggest game out there, and we doubt anyone circled Digital Devolver's latest outing in the same way that most would have with Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, among others. But, it is a start, and we're glad to see that Sony is open to positioning its services to compete better. Not to mention, it's also a sign of Project Spartacus, which has been described as Sony's competitor against the Game Pass.

For what it is worth, Shadow Warrior 3 is just one of the four new games headed to PS Now this March. The first-person shooter title will be joined by the likes of Crysis Remastered, the very same game that "melted" PCs more than a decade ago. Other inclusions are Relicta, a first-person puzzle game, as well as Chicken Police - Paint It Red, where all the characters are anthropomorphic animals for some reason.

Going back to the topic of a day one title, it appears that March is a significant month for Sony, much more so this year. It's not just that Shadow Warrior 3 will be available at launch on PS Now, but Sony also announced a solid lineup of games for PS Plus subscribers this March. Although the combined cost of both the PS Now and PS Plus isn't attractive enough to warrant the price of admission to an "inferior" offering, we're still interested to see how Sony will shape both in the coming months, specifically, if more games are coming to either subscription on day one.

With a still-unannounced State of Play event reportedly scheduled for later this month, PlayStation owners will be eating well for a while.