PlayStation Game Pass rival reportedly due to launch next spring

A PlayStation Game Pass rival, reportedly dubbed Spartacus, could launch next Spring.

That's according to a new Bloomberg report, which cites sources within the company as well as documents they've seen, which says that the service is likely to merge together PS Plus and PS Now.

For context, PS Plus allows players to play games online as well as redeem a selection of games every month, while PlayStation Now is already similar to Xbox Game Pass in the sense that players get access to a selection of games they can play immediately, although PS Now doesn't follow Xbox Game Pass's example of publishing first-party titles on the same day they go on sale.

The report also claims that the new service will offer a three-tier service, with the first tier offering current PS Plus benefits, another offering PS4 and eventually PS5 games, and the final one providing access to "extended demos, game streaming and a library of classic PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games." 

While there has been talk of a PlayStation Game Pass rival for quite some time - SIE president Jim Ryan alluded to an announcement Sony might make on it last year -  this report offers our first real glimpse of how PlayStation is looking to match Xbox's service. 

For many, the key benefit of Xbox Game Pass is getting exclusives such as Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and Psychonauts 2 on the day they release, and the report doesn't confirm if Sony plans to match this aspect in its service. However, the ability to get access to older titles will surely excite fans who have seen similar retro titles appear on Xbox Game Pass.

We've contacted Sony for comment and will update this story when we hear back from them.

For more on what to expect from PlayStation next year, take a look at our new games list.