PlayStation Won't Put New PS5 Games on Subscription Service Like Xbox Game Pass Does

Sony has its PlayStation Now subscription service with tons of games included and will soon have a PlayStation Plus Collection that gives PlayStation 5 owners some top-tier games from the current generation, but it still doesn't have an answer for everything the Xbox Game Pass service offers. The big perk Xbox Game Pass has over PlayStation Now is that new first-party games from Xbox Game Studios come straight to the subscription for all subscribers to enjoy right away. That doesn't happen with PlayStation Now, and according to recent comments from PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, that's not changing anytime soon.

Ryan spoke to GamesIndustry.biz recently about the PlayStation 5, its various features and promotions offered, and Sony's strategies for the next-gen console. The PlayStation Plus Collection deal has drawn comparisons to both PlayStation Now and Xbox Game Pass since it's essentially offering some major games for free so long as you have a PlayStation 5 and a PlayStation Plus subscription, but it's still not at the same level as Xbox Game Pass' commitment to new games going straight to the subscription. Ryan said that sort of model just isn't seen as sustainable for PlayStation and said the company doesn't plan on taking that route.

"For us, having a catalogue of games is not something that defines a platform," Ryan said. "Our pitch, as you've heard, is 'new games, great games.' We have had this conversation before -- we are not going to go down the road of putting new releases titles into a subscription model. These games cost many millions of dollars, well over $100 million, to develop. We just don't see that as sustainable."

Ryan continued to say Sony hopes to make its PlayStation games "bigger and better, and hopefully at some stage more persistent" and that it doesn't make sense to put those sorts of games in a subscription model.

That means that we won't be seeing games like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and whatever God of War project is in the works next be added to PlayStation Now as soon as they're available, but as we've seen in the past with games like Marvel's Spider-Man, there's always the chance that they'll be added to PlayStation Now at a later date. If nothing else, the PlayStation Plus Collection is at least something to look forward to if you're getting a PlayStation 5. It comes with games like Bloodborne, God of War, and a mix of other first and third-party games.

The PlayStation 5 and the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will release on November 12th along with several games available at launch.