When Sony’s PlayStation Spartacus subscription service launches for PS4 and PS5 owners, it’s expected to have three tiers costing $10, $13, and $16 per month.
The rival to Xbox Game Pass was first revealed by Bloomberg back in December last year. Sony is reported to be merging PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now to form a new subscription service currently using the codename “Spartacus” and offering a mix of modern and classic games.
As GamesBeat reports, new details about Spartacus are leaking. The subscription is expected to retain the PlayStation Plus name, but be split into three tiers referred to as Essential, Extra, and Premium. They will cost $10, $13, and $16 respectively, with each tier offering more content and features.
PlayStation Plus Essential is basically the premium PlayStation Plus subscription Sony offers today, including monthly games, discounts, and online multiplayer. PlayStation Plus Extra adds access to a library of hundreds of old games for an extra $3 per month, with those games expected to be taken from the existing PlayStation Now offerings.
The top tier PlayStation Plus Premium offers significantly more content in return for your $16. Premium subscribers will be able to stream games, just like you can on PlayStation Now, and access a library of classic games. There’s also a “Game Trials” feature, which is expected to work similarly to how EA Play handles trials—new releases will be playable for a set period of time for free.
Microsoft decided to offer new games as part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription, but that means there’s little incentive to purchase new titles. It seems Sony is taking a different approach with Spartacus, which will allow subscribers a generous “try-before-you-buy” period for new releases, after which point the games can be purchased.
Spartacus is rumored to be launching before the end of spring, but Sony isn’t ready to talk publicly about it yet, so there’s every chance we’ll be waiting until later in the year to see it appear.
