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Push Square: Sony Said Xbox Game Pass Isn't Sustainable, Then Released One of Its Tentpole Titles into the Service Anyway

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Vasto

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“Putting [games] into a subscription model on day one, for us, just doesn't make any sense,” Sony bigwig Jim Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz prior to the launch of the PlayStation 5, when asked about Xbox Game Pass. “For others in a different situation, it might well make sense, but for us it doesn't. We want to expand and grow our existing ecosystem, and putting new games into a subscription model just doesn't sit with that.”

The executive added: “We have had this conversation before – we are not going to go down the road of putting new 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.” Little over six months later, MLB The Show 21 – a first-party game developed by Sony’s own San Diego studio – will be available day one for members of Microsoft’s subscription. PlayStation fans will have to pay up to $69.99 to play.

Ryan has argued that Xbox Game Pass, as a business model, is unsustainable. And he’s probably right – unless you have the trillion dollar deep pockets of Microsoft, of course. Yet, under his watch, he’s seen one of PlayStation’s tentpole internally developed titles launch day one on the very subscription service he’s argued against. Whatever the chain of events that led to this outcome, this is such a bad look that it honestly beggars belief.





I saw a thread asking " Could we see Game Pass on Playstation? " I do not think that is the question that people should be asking. The question is " Could we see Playstation on Game Pass? " This is what we are actually seeing right now and it may be more to come. Lets say MLB The Show does very well on Game Pass could we actually see more Sony 1st party games launch into Game Pass? Could this be what Phil is trying to achieve? :unsure:
 
Perhaps Sony didn't have any say in this matter, but they do have a say in deciding whether they want to match this deal on one of their own subscription services.

They will put MLB The Show on PS Now, just not day one. It would be dumb for them to do so. The game wouldn't make any money.

PS Now doesn't have nearly the number of subs as XBGP and an MLB game won't really change that in any meaningful way.
 

Agent X

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They will put MLB The Show on PS Now, just not day one. It would be dumb for them to do so. The game wouldn't make any money.

Under normal circumstances, I'd agree. I'm this case, though, it's quite embarrassing that a Sony-developed game gets given out on a competing platform, while their own users are treated as second-class citizens. They might need to make this sacrifice in order to retain their reputation.

PS Now doesn't have nearly the number of subs as XBGP and an MLB game won't really change that in any meaningful way.

Which is exactly the reason why you would put it on PS Now. If people think it's a great deal, then they will snap up subscriptions and give the service a great boost. If they say, "No thanks, I'd rather purchase the game outright", then they can do that too.

The point is that Sony would be giving consumers the choice. No one would be able to accuse them of being stingy or greedy or ignorant of the demands of their user base.
 
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