In the battle for users’ time, video games represent a particularly unique medium. Taking on visual, auditory and interactive qualities as well as a slew of others, video games are an intersection of sorts. While visuals and gameplay are incredibly important components to a successful title, something that often flies under the radar is the inclusion of music. That philosophy could soon be seeing a change for PlayStation users, as their access to music services is about to get a significant overhaul.

Ever since its release, many have looked upon the PS4 as having the potential to be the ideal media server. From gaming and music to movies and television shows, Sony has been slowly rolling out services that aim to unify media in the user’s living space. This is exemplified by the recent additions of a dedicated YouTube app and USB music support. Now, while Sony will be letting go of their Music Unlimited service (formerly called Qriosity), they will be expanding their musical focus with an exclusive partnership with music streaming service Spotify.

Announced today on the PlayStation Blog, Sony will be shutting down their current Music Unlimited service on March 29, 2015 in order to launch a new music initiative. Titled PlayStation Music, the service’s primary point of focus is it’s implementation of Spotify. Allowing subscribers to stream music from Spotify’s massive database of over 30 million songs and 1.5 billion playlists, it’s evident that Sony intends to acknowledge their weaknesses and work towards establishing a total living room domination.

Planned to launch in 41 markets this spring for the PS4, PS3 and Xperia tablets and smartphones, one of the most exciting features of this partnership will be the ability to stream your favorite Spotify playlists in-game. Whether you’re interested in playing Shadow of Mordor to the tune of Howard Shore’s scores from The Lord of the Rings or want to build up adrenaline for a Destiny raid with some metal, it will be the perfect means for players to further personalize their gameplay experiences.

Perhaps most exciting is the potential that this partnership holds for enterprising developers. Not only could user and developer-curated playlists for specific games and gameplay modes become a common occurrence, but should developers have access to the service’s stream data, it could be a game-changer to see these custom playlist integrated seamlessly into games like Grand Theft Auto 5 in the form of full-fledged custom radio stations.

All this being said, it’s unfortunate to see another Sony service being shut down so close to PlayStation Home, but its hard to deny the potential for excitement that comes with this announcement. Music plays a large part in how the public experiences video games, so by opening the floodgates of top-tier streaming, this could represent one of the largest shifts to hit Sony platforms in quite a while.

Are you a current Spotify subscriber? Would you be interested in subscribing to the service in order to take advantage of in-game playlist streaming?