Xbox Game Pass-like subscription would not make financial sense on PS5, says Sony

In an interview with BBC, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said a subscription-like Xbox Game Pass would not make financial sense on PS5.

According to Ryan, PlayStation is all about blockbuster and exclusive games, and those are extremely expensive to produce.

With that in mind, giving those games away upon their respective day one at a small and fixed fee would not allow Sony to recoup those costs to develop and market such big games.

“When I questioned Mr. Ryan about the possibility of a similar service,” reports the BBC feature about PS5 that was just released, “he said PlayStation was about big blockbuster games that cost a lot to make.”

“So a similar subscription service model would not make financial sense,” it adds, making it clear why Sony has been so adamant in delivering PlayStation 4 exclusive titles on PlayStation Now, the closest thing to Xbox Game Pass Sony has had throughout the years.

However, that doesn’t mean Sony is unwilling to offer a selection of games always available for PS5 customers. At the latest PlayStation event, the Japanese platform owner has announced PlayStation Plus Collection, a sort of mini-Xbox Game Pass service for players who will purchase the next-gen console.

PlayStation Plus Collection is a benefit added on top of existing PlayStation Plus subscriptions, at no additional costs, including 18 of the current-gen games, such as God of War, Monster Hunter World, and more.

Sony has not mentioned whether this selection will grow bigger in time, nor if it could add PS5 native titles in the future.

With the console maker only having one system at its services’ disposal, it is not a big surprise that releasing triple-A games day and date on a subscription service would not make much sense.

Microsoft is spreading Xbox Game Pass across several devices, including Android smartphones and tablets, to make it profitable. At the time being, on Xbox One and PC, it has not been “a big profit play,” as reckoned by Xbox executive Aaron Greenberg, but adding more devices, it should be soon.