March 30, 2022: -Sony is set to launch a new video game subscription service this summer, seeking to drive sales of its PlayStation consoles and compete with a similar offering from Microsoft.

The company said Tuesday it will bundle its existing PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now services into one single subscription service called PlayStation Plus. The new PlayStation Plus will be available in June and comes in three tiers:

Industry insiders view the move as Sony’s response to Xbox Game Pass, a popular game subscription service from Microsoft which lets users download and stream a bunch of different games.

Microsoft is spending big on Game Pass, acquiring massive video game publishers like Activision Blizzard and Bethesda for $76 billion to bring their popular titles onto the service.

Xbox Game Pass is considered a kind of “Netflix for games.” It allows gamers to play video games on their phone, PC, or Xbox console via the cloud, erasing the need for expensive hardware.

Sony said its PS Plus Premium service would let users stream games to their PC and the PS4 and PS5. Players will also be able to try some fun for a limited time before deciding to buy them.

“The new Extra and Premium tiers represent a major evolution for PlayStation Plus,” Sony’s PlayStation boss, Jim Ryan, said in a blog post Tuesday. “With these tiers, our key focus is to ensure that the hundreds of games we offer will include the best quality content that sets us apart.”

Games at launch will include Death Stranding, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Returnal. Sony said it’s “working closely” with third-party developers to include more titles over time.