With Shadow Warrior 3 on day one, is PlayStation Now paving the way for a competitor to Xbox Game Pass?

PlayStation Now is once again in the news with a piece of new information about Shadow Warrior 3, whose release is coming soon.

As per the official website, Shadow Warrior 3 will be available on day one on PlayStation Now. While there have been many interesting reveals about the game, appearing on PlayStation Now day one has created fresh speculation.

After all, day one has become a proverb that fans identify the Xbox Game Pass with. While PlayStation Now has a different structure and access is a lot more restricted, it's no secret that Sony has been trying to revamp it.

Bringing a brand new game on day one indicates that the service is gearing up to compete with the Xbox Game Pass. With rumors of PlayStation Infinite intensifying in late January, is the PlayStation Now shaping up to be its eventual successor?

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PlayStation Now may have started to evolve into PlayStation Infinite

Sony currently has two separate subscription services - PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus. There have been rumors of a new project called Project Spartacus, aiming to merge the two services to make it a combined one.

Further rumors have stated that Project Spartacus will probably be titled PlayStation Infinite in recent weeks. Additionally, community rumors have stated that the three tiers will be at three possible price points.

While the addition of Shadow Warrior 3 to PlayStation Now has started speculations of the service's expansion, it seems unlikely. If anything, Sony will be launching a brand new service with a much larger library, which will perfect with the potential launch of PlayStation Infinite in the future.

The bigger question will be the most obvious one: Can it be Xbox Game Pass's competitor? Sony had earlier been apprehensive of the Xbox model, but it seems that the success of Microsoft's service has made the rivals change their plans.

As things stand, the aggregation of PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now will not be enough to compete with the Xbox Game Pass service. To truly compete, the available library will need a significant revamp.

Microsoft has all the first-party exclusives available for eternity on the subscription, along with several additional games. Among them are all the EA games that are part of EA Play. So while games do routinely leave the service, it gives players ample time to complete a game they want to.

Another central area where Xbox has been winning the war has been backward compatibility. Games from several older Xbox generations can be played seamlessly. This is something that PlayStation fans have been asking for a long time, and if PlayStation Infinite has to be successful, this is another area that needs strengthening.

It's way too early to predict how PlayStation Infinite will shape up, as all there have been are rumors. But there have been specific indications that Sony has adopted a change in strategy. Shadow Warrior 3's day one entry is one of them as it mirrors what has been happening on the Xbox Game Pass.

However, Microsoft has a massive first-mover advantage in offering a subscription-based service. The PlayStation has a roster to boast about, but there will be other areas to focus on as simply having an incredible roster isn't sufficient.