PlayStation is developing a new service to compete with Xbox Game Pass

According to people familiar with Sony’s intentions and documents reviewed by Bloomberg, the PlayStation division is considering a new subscription service to compete with Microsoft Corp.’s popular Xbox Game Pass.

According to the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press about the plans, the service, code-named Spartacus, will allow PlayStation customers to pay a monthly subscription for access to a collection of new and old titles. The product will most likely be accessible on the PlayStation 4, which has sold over 116 million units, as well as its elusive successor, the PlayStation 5, which was released over a year ago but is still difficult to obtain due to supply chain concerns.

The service will combine Sony’s two existing subscription programs, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now when it launches in the spring. Most online multiplayer games require PlayStation Plus, which delivers free monthly releases, while PlayStation Now allows players to view or download older games. According to documents obtained by Bloomberg, Sony intends to keep the PlayStation Plus logo but phase down PlayStation Now.

Spartacus’ details aren’t completed yet, but documentation acquired by Bloomberg describes a three-tiered service. Existing PlayStation Plus benefits would be included in the first. The second would have a broad selection of PlayStation 4 and, later, PlayStation 5 games. Extended demos, game streaming, and a library of vintage PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games would be included in the third tier. A PlayStation official did not respond to a request for comment right away.

Despite outselling the Xbox in recent years, Sony has trailed behind Microsoft in terms of subscriptions. Sony will use this new structure to compete with an Xbox feature that has proven to be popular and profitable.

More than 18 million people have signed up for Microsoft’s Game Pass, which has been branded the Netflix of video games. Users can pay $10 to $15 each month for unrestricted access to hundreds of games. In recent years, Xbox has centered its entire strategy around the service, releasing all of its internally published titles on Game Pass as soon as they’re available. Xbox has also made significant acquisitions, such as Bethesda Softworks for $7.5 billion last year, in order to expand the Game Pass catalog.