Everything you need to know about Sony’s Project Spartacus

Console gaming is one of the most widely accessible ways to play video games. For years, many have attended midnight releases, pre-downloaded games, and enjoyed the peace of mind that console gaming brings. The simplicity of turning on a system and everything working smoothly is a distinct advantage to the multigenerational platform.

Subscription services, like Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, offer day-one access to new games, which only add to a great user experience. Ever since the release of Game Pass, many wonder if or when Sony will compete with a similar product. 

What is Project Spartacus?

Enter Project Spartacus, Sony’s response to the popularity of Xbox Game Pass. Sony plans to release a subscription service offering PlayStation users access to new and old titles for a monthly fee, like Xbox Game Pass, according to a Bloomberg article from December. Bloomberg is also predicting that Sony will announce the release of Project Spartacus as early as next week.

Cost

There is already an expectation of a monthly price for Project Spartacus due to comparisons with Xbox Game Pass. The Microsoft product, released in 2017, ranges from $9.99 to $14.99, and many expect Sony’s product to fall in line at a similar price point.

Project Spartacus will have three different subscription tiers offering additional perks as users upgrade, according to GamesBeat. Reports say these tiers cost $10 for PS+ Essential, $13 for PS+ Extra, and $16 for PS+ Premium.

As users upgrade their subscriptions, they will reportedly gain access to an increasing amount of content in addition to the previous tier. Here are the potential Spartacus packages, according to Bloomberg and GamesBeat:

• PS+ Essentials ($10 per month)
  • PlayStation Plus benefits
• PS+ Extra ($13 per month)
  • PlayStation Plus benefits
  • Large PlayStation 4 game library
  • PlayStation 5 game library (eventually)
• PS+ Premium ($16 per month)
  • PlayStation Plus benefits
  • Large PlayStation 4 game library
  • PlayStation 5 game library (eventually)
  • Extended demos
  • Backward compatible library (PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games)
  • Game streaming (no download required)

The PS+ Premium tier would be an intriguing option due to the backward compatibility library and the game streaming features.

Games

Specific launch day titles are still unknown. But Bloomberg reporters Jason Schreier and Takashi Mochizuki say Spartacus will have “a splashy lineup of hit games from recent years… and classics from older PlayStation eras.” This is a good sign for users especially excited for the backward compatibility aspect of Project Spartacus. While classics from the past may not encompass all of Sony’s previous titles, it’d be hard to see the most popular games not returning with the new monthly subscription service. 

Project Spartacus will launch with PS4 and PS5 games. But it is likely Project Spartacus will not have day one launches of PS5 titles releasing in the future. Some speculate that due to Sony’s unique and substantially more popular exclusive games, it would risk significant profits by releasing day one on Project Spartacus compared to Microsoft’s exclusives releasing day one on Game Pass.

Sony plans to announce the Project Spartacus release day early next week, according to Bloomberg. This is an exciting time to be a PlayStation fan and user. Sony could soon have an answer to the 25-million active Game Pass user base.