Back in December, reports surfaced indicating that Sony is, at long last, planning to rival Xbox Game Pass' market domination on video game streaming. Codenamed Spartacus, this service would combine PlayStation Now and Plus into one subscription, and offer more recent titles as well as older releases.Now, it looks like Sony could be preparing for the big announcement. As spotted by fans, the studio has suddenly dropped the PlayStation Plus branding from its monthly free games reveal, making no mention of the service. The advertising now simply reads "available this month at no extra cost", which is much more in line with a Game Pass-like system.Despite being a small change, this theory does make sense. If Sony is not planning to announce Spartacus anytime soon, then the re-wording seems counterintuitive, as slapping "PlayStation Plus" on there makes it clear what players have to purchase in able to access the monthly free games.This would also track with other recent developments. Sony recalled all PS Now gift cards from UK retailers earlier this month, with stores instructed not to sell them after January 21. This indicates that Sony doesn't want anyone getting too attached to its preexisting subscriptions, as it plans to overhaul it completely in the near future.
And if you needed any more evidence that Spartacus is real, look no further than Microsoft. After the report was published, Phil Spencer said that he feels that such a move is "inevitable", and that competitors will also start releasing games on streaming day one. If Game Pass' success is anything to go by, it's a pretty sound investment.
Spartacus will reportedly be available in three tiers, with the first being just like PS Plus is now. The next one up from that will offer a "large catalogue" of PS4 games, and "eventually" PS5 games. The most expensive payment plan will give you access to a wide variety of games from PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP, as well as everything you'd get with the other tiers. On top of that, you'll be able to try out demos and streaming.