One of the best things to come out of this console generation is without a doubt subscription services, namely, Xbox Gamepass and PS Now. Love them or loathe them, they’re proving popular, and with gamers coin purses being lighter due to the world going down the pan, they’re great ways for the money-conscious player to stretch their gaming funds further.
While PS Now has the larger library with hundreds of games (many of which are streaming-only) Gamepass offers a bit more bang for the buck. For one, you get new games day-and-date if they come bearing the Xbox Game Studios logo, and even some third-party games like Hot Shot Racers and Streets of Rage 4 launch straight onto the service. Then there’s the rewards where you earn points by completing gaming-related tasks, and those points can be converted to money that you can spend on other Xbox games or even subscriptions.
PS Now… well, you just play, and if your internet isn’t good enough, you just play whatever can be downloaded.
It has long been speculated that Xbox will spread the Gamepass love around to competing consoles, with some earlier rumours suggesting Nintendo Switch could play host to the subscription service. Nothing has come of it so far, but Phil isn’t completely dismissive about the idea.
Speaking with Gamereator, Spencer was asked about Gamepass and other platforms and whether it’s the platform holders standing at the door, if it’s something else.
I think for us it’s all about priority, and reaching more players. So we went to PC first after Xbox, because there’s just so many players there, globally, that don’t own an Xbox, that we could go reach. We went to mobile next because there’s a billion Android phones on the planet. It’s significantly larger than any console player base.
It makes sense that Xbox would naturally spill over into PC, and with so many of us walking around (or not, thanks, 2020) with Android phones in our pockets, it makes sense that streaming to those devices would come next.
But what about PlayStation? What about Nintendo Switch?
I love the Switch, I love PlayStation, honestly, I think they’ve done an amazing job as being a part of this industry. I’m not sure that those are the next big set of users for us, but we could be open to those discussions.
So, it could happen, but it’s most likely that it won’t – at least not on a PlayStation console. While Microsoft and Sony work together in other businesses, they’re fierce rivals when it comes to their consoles. There has been a lot of shade thrown from one side to the other, and it’s unlikely that either will want to alienate their respective fanbases further by actively endorsing each other’s games on their platforms.
Still, there’s a slim chance. Gamepass is a streaming service and PlayStation already plays host to several – Spotify, Netflix, Disney+, and more, even though they all eat into Sony’s potential movie/TV show rentals/sales from the PlayStation Store. There’s a very slim chance, then. As the old saying goes: Never say never.
But don’t hold your breath…
Source: Gamereactor
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