That’s according to an unverified doc uploaded to Twitter, though, so dial your Scept-O-Trons to max.
The alleged deal includes a time-limited exclusivity clause that prohibits the launch of Resident Evil Village on competing subscriptions services for one year. It doesn’t, however, impose the same restrictions on Sony. I mean, obviously, but this paragraph is kind of intriguing:
“SIE Affiliates shall have the exclusive right of first negotiation and last match to include the Game within PlayStation Plus, PlayStation Now and any similar subscription service offered by SIE Affiliates on PS Platforms (“PS Subscription Service”).”
For the moment, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now are Sony’s two available subscription services. But what about “any similar subscription service”? It’s not exactly a secret that Sony is working on a subscription service more like Xbox Game Pass, and if this doc is real, it’s got, you know, implications.
First posted by Twitter user @AndreaPichini, the “leak” has also generated some drama over claims that the deal limits Resident Evil Village’s performance on Xbox consoles, but I’m not totally convinced. It does include a “Feature, Content, and Technical Parity” clause (via this page subsequently uploaded by @RedDeadPanda1), but I expect that’s probably a routine thing. And if it wasn’t before Cyberpunk 2077, it is now.
Sony is limitting RE8 versions on Xbox Series X to not run at higher resolution.
This marketing agreement also indicates that Sony is blocking RE8 from coming into Gamepass. pic.twitter.com/EtSJDwRxEv
— Andrea Pichinini (@AndreaPichinini) April 21, 2021
Some other sources of the same docs on Twitter have since been scrubbed, so I’ve saved them here for your convenience.
Totally real anti-consumer corporate conspiracy or fake? You decide.