Comcast and NBC have a streaming service. Would you say it compares favorably to Netflix? Having a service and reaching a sustainable scale of providing it with content are two different things. Sony has no intention of doing what Microsoft is looking to do with Game Pass. Microsoft says whatever game we release it's on our service day 1 no extra charge. That's what being all in looks like. In the short term such an approach is likely to lose money and cost sales in the long term as more and better games are released and more studios are acquired it drives customer loyalty and grows the base.
Sony says we have a service, you can play our older games on it and older 3rd party titles but everything newer is full price at a store. Who really wants that? The best draw of Game Pass is that day one promise. Sony and Nintendo can't scale such a service. It takes a tech juggernaut like Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft to do such a service because if Sony tried to pivot to such a model the short to medium term losses the business change would generate would destroy them.
It's just like how Disney doesn't want to go all in on Disney+. They still want to put movies in theaters and have movie windows because if they don't the losses would be painful. Netflix is all in on streaming. Whatever they make is day 1 on Netflix. They DGAF about a movie theater unless it's to chase awards. Until Disney goes all in on streaming Netflix will remain out of reach.
Until Sony goes all in on a subscription service their subs aren't gonna be all that high.
