Sony Interactive Entertainment may be changing its strategy on PC releases, keeping some of its biggest PlayStation 5 exclusives off the format. According to report this is part of a strategy to “protect the PlayStation brand and console sales.”
Bloomberg reported yesterday that Sony has scrapped plans to release high-profile PS5 games like Ghost of Yotei and Saros on PC. While online and live-service games like Marathon and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls will still reach PC, major single-player PlayStation Studios titles will remain console-exclusive, the report claimed.
Emmanuel Umahi
Why is Sony doing this?
The main reason, according to the report, is to increase console sales. Some Sony executives worry that releasing PlayStation exclusives on PC could undermine the incentive to buy a PlayStation 5 or future consoles.
PlayStation has long relied on must-play exclusives to drive console sales. Bringing blockbusters to PC too soon or too often, the executives now worry, could weaken that strategy. The report says that people inside the company are hoping this strategy will help maintain the value of owning a PlayStation console.
Focus on First-Party Games
This shift, the report claims, would primarily affect first-party PlayStation Studios titles, not games developed by external studios but published by Sony.
For example, games like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Kena: Scars of Kosmora are still expected to come to PC, suggesting the restriction is meant to keep core PlayStation exclusives on consoles while still benefiting from PC revenue on third-party titles.
The History of PlayStation on PC
Sony began releasing major PlayStation games on PC in 2020, starting with Horizon Zero Dawn, followed by titles like God of War (2018 video game), God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered.
These PC releases brought in additional revenue and new audiences, but also sparked internal debate over whether expanding beyond PlayStation consoles could dilute the value of exclusive games.
Emmanuel Umahi
