PlayStation Plus has been around for a while. Over 13 years, to be exact. In all this time, the popular subscription service has gained over 47.7 million users. On the other hand, Xbox Game Pass made its way into the industry back in 2017, and as of April 2022, 21.9 million were for Game Pass (excluding PC). These numbers have been speculated according to GamesIndustry.
A thing to note here is that in its current state, Game Pass boasts over 300 playable games for Xbox Series S/X and PC. Despite this, PlayStation Plus has more subscribers.
Game Pass Will Need to Stay Consistently ‘Premium’
In recent times, president of PlayStation, Jim Ryan, spoke openly about why he believes PS Plus is a better choice for gamers compared to Game Pass:
I talked to all the publishers, and they unanimously do not like Game Pass because it is value destructive, not only on an individual title-basis, but also or an industry level. The recent number of subscribers that Microsoft announced on January was 25 Million. I am sure everyone has their own views on this, but I personally was expecting a larger number given all the money they have spent. We have close to 50 Million PlayStation Plus subscribers. We believe we have a meaningful subscription service.
Other than the obvious publisher-subscription conversation that surrounds the pricing model, for the past few years, Xbox and PlayStation both had their own version of online multiplayer and digital library. Even before Game Pass was a thing.
On one hand, players had access to Xbox Live, on the other, PlayStation Plus was the ‘Live’ version for people preferring Sony. Because of this, countless players were a part of PS Plus for the simple need to play online.
Microsoft’s Jerret West spoke about how crucial Starfield has been for Game Pass’ success. According to him:
There is no question that Starfield is critically important for something like Game Pass because it attracts new consumers. But really what sustains a subscription business is when you attract consumers and then also engage them. And these types of games, Vampire Survivors, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Jusant, Pentiment, these are the games where people play and find joy, and they discover them in a subscription model where they might not want to pay $60, $70 or something like that. So, it plays a vital role in discovery of new types of IP, but also in driving more engagement for the subscription as well.
With the recent Activision Blizzard acquisition, Game Pass will likely see games like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and other popular titles added to the collection. This also opens room for devs and designers to get creative about their IP and experiment with some kind of ‘exclusivity’ that will exist for Game Pass players.
Comparing PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass Subscription Models
Timing and popularity certainly contribute to PS Plus’ ongoing success, and Sony has strong plans to keep adding to their collection of games, competing with Game Pass. In comparison, here’s a look at both PS Plus and Game Pass pricing and subscription models:
- PlayStation Plus Essential 12-Month Subscription: From $59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99 to $79.99 / £59.99 / €71.99
- PlayStation Plus Extra 12-Month Subscription: From $99.99 / £83.99 / €99.99 to $134.99 / £99.99 / €125.99
- PlayStation Plus Premium 12-Month Subscription: From $119.99 / £99.99 / €119.99 to $159.99 / £119.99 / €151.99
For Xbox Game Pass:
In the end, both of these subscriptions offer a collection of great games, but it comes down to the quality of games and popular releases. On the PlayStation Plus side of things, we have essential titles like The Last of Us and Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection, and monthly picks like The Callisto Protocol. Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass offers new indie as well as triple-A titles like Lies of P and Sea of Stars, along with Xbox classics like Forza Horizon and Halo.
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