Xbox CEO Phil Spencer has responded to rumors that PlayStation is working on a service similar to the Xbox Game Pass, saying he sees it as “inevitable” and is the “right answer” on how to bring games to gamers.
In a conversation with Ryan McPhree from IGN, Spencer referred to recent rumors, which pointed to a new service called Spartacus that would replace the existing PS Plus service.
“As you know,” Spencer began, “so many of these things actually fit into themselves, m [backwards compatibility] In terms of a way to build a games library we have free PC and console delivery at the same time […] Knowing that Game Pass is about to arrive and we want to bring Game Pass to a number of platforms – all of these decisions are kind of a pile on their own.
“I do not mean it to sound like we understood everything, but I think the right answer is to allow your customers to play the games they want to play, where they want to play them, and give them a choice about how they build their library and be transparent with them about our programs. To the PC and to the outdoor initiatives of our generation and other things.
“So when I hear others doing things like Game Pass or getting to the computer, it makes sense to me because I think that’s the right answer.”
Spencer went on to say that he does not see Sony’s apparent willingness to emulate the bold approach of Xbox as proof that he and his team were right to push for an earlier Game Pass – more than that it is proof that things have always been this way in the industry:
“I do not really look at it as verification. I actually, when I talk to our teams, I talk about it as inevitable. So for us, we need to keep innovating, keep competing, because the things we do may have advantages we have in the market today, but They are just based on the fact that we go first, not that we have created something that no one else can go to create.
“I love it because it feeds our energy on what are the next things we need to work on while we continue to build the things we did in the past. Because I think the right answer is to send great games, send them to the computer, send them to the console, send them to the cloud “Make them available on day 1 of the subscription. And I expect that’s what our competitor will do.”
In recent years, Spencer has spearheaded several initiatives on the Xbox that Sony seems to be getting to a little later. In 2016, Microsoft announced the Xbox Play Anywhere scheme, which saw all Microsoft studio games released simultaneously on the Xbox and PC, with cross-game and cross-purchase. In recent years, Sony has begun to increase the number of computer ports it creates for PlayStation exclusivity, even launching a computer brand and acquiring a computer expert.
Xbox has also slowly created a large catalog of backwards compatible titles, with many games from the original Xbox available to play without any hindrance on Xbox Series consoles. While almost all PS4 games are backwards compatible with the PS5, rumors have started to spread that Sony is working on extending this to PS3 compatibility at least in the future.
The Xbox Game Pass has been Microsoft’s boldest and best idea in recent years, however, making a variety of games (including all of Xbox’s exclusive accessories) available as part of individual subscription fees. Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan has previously said that PlayStation exclusives will not be put into the subscription service, but recent rumors by Spartacus point to a subscription catalog, and possibly a more expensive level that includes backwards-compatible games.
Joe Scrabbles is the editor-in-chief of IGN News. Follow him on Twitter. Do you have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.