‘We’re Not Looking to Put First-Party Games in Day and Date’: PS Plus Rejects Xbox Game Pass Model

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Sony intends to adhere to its successful approach, refraining from immediately offering their first-party content on the PS Plus subscription service at its debut.

At the outset of this generation, the manufacturer found itself facing considerable stress due to the popular demand to emulate Microsoft’s striking Xbox Game Pass strategy, featuring blockbuster in-house games such as DOOM: The Dark Ages, released simultaneously with their debut.

However, as per U.S. analyst Circana’s findings, the subscription sector appears to have plateaued, which has unquestionably affected the overall software sales for the entire line of Xbox products.

Microsoft is now transferring all its products to consoles such as the PS5. Notably, several significant series like Gears of War: Reloaded are debuting simultaneously on Sony’s platform during their release date.

Sony, who has consistently expressed that the situation was “unviable”, shows no surprise as they are hesitant to alter their current direction.

In a recent interview with GameFile, PlayStation executive Nick Maguire stated that they have remained consistent with their overall approach, which means they are not focusing on releasing games simultaneously with other regions, or day-and-date releases.

Although it may not seem so initially, this doesn’t imply that it’s not dedicated to enhancing the quality of its service. In fact, it shows particular emphasis at the higher tiers like PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium. Users should be aware that there have been several day-one third-party releases lately, with Blue Prince being one of them, which has garnered critical acclaim.

Maguire explained, “We’ve been successful by releasing about four to five games simultaneously on their release date, and this has helped us. Additionally, we focus on bringing out games when they are at least 12 or 18 months old. This dual approach seems to be striking a good balance for our platform.

He made it clear that the initial release on day one happening within a range of four to five days isn’t definitive. If suitable opportunities arise, the company might decide to do more.

It appears that Sony’s choice to exclude first-party software was a wise move, as history has proven.

Xbox Game Pass certainly offers significant worth, but it caters particularly well to gamers who prefer a vast collection of content that they can access on-demand.

In essence, unlike listening to music or watching TV, playing video games requires active engagement, leading many game enthusiasts to opt for buying particular games instead of subscribing to a vast collection they might never use extensively.

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2025-06-25 18:06