Playstation
In the recent past Sony released several former Playstation-exclusive games for the PC - albeit with a certain delay. These include Horizon: Zero Dawn and Days Gone. Further ports are to follow in the foreseeable future. Is it possibly even conceivable that such first-party games will even appear for the Playstation and the PC at the same time at some point? If it is up to former Playstation boss Shawn Layden, that will probably not be the case.In an interview with "What's Up Playstation", Layden stated that such a decision would not be in line with Sony's current strategy and therefore difficult to imagine.
"The idea of going to the PC - and I don't think we'll ever see Playstation aiming for a simultaneous release on the PC, but you should never 'never 'say (...) we have to go where the customers are. They made up their minds not to come to our house, so we have to come to their house now. And what is the best way to get to their house Come on? Why don't I take one of our best-selling games that has hit the market and has been around for 18 or 24 months. There is no trading activity against this title. I don't trade one sale for another, I bring it in on the PC so that s you get an idea of it. You decided not to come to the Playstation. But let's show you what you're missing out on. "
Recommended editorial content At this point you will find external content from [PLATTFORM]. To protect your personal data, external integrations are only displayed if you confirm this by clicking on "Load all external content": Load all external content I consent to external content being displayed to me. This means that personal data is transmitted to third-party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy . External content More on this in our data protection declaration. Sony has been doing relatively well with this strategy so far and therefore currently has no compelling reason to deviate from it. However, Layden makes it clear that such strategies are based on customer behavior and that a change cannot be categorically ruled out. In the foreseeable future, however, you shouldn't hope for a simultaneous release of first-party games on the PS5 (buy now) and the PC.
Source: What's Up Playstation
Sony is unlikely to release new PlayStation games simultaneously on console and PC at launch
As fans of video games, there are few studios out there that immediately bring to mind the idea of premium AAA quality content, one of which is undoubtedly PlayStation Studios. Unfortunately for us, those games have long been console exclusives, but that is slowly changing with Sony starting to release former PlayStation exclusives on PC.
Sony first officially started it with Horizon: Zero Dawn in 2020, followed by Days Gone in early 2021, and next will be the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection in 2022. At this rate we’ll be getting a PlayStation game on PC every year, but a new interview with a former PlayStation executive reveals that Sony is unlikely to ever release new PlayStation games simultaneously on console and PC at launch, but it’s not an impossibility:
“The idea of going to PC—and I don’t think you’ll ever see PlayStation do a day and date with PC, but you know, never say never—but the strategy as we were developing it when I was there was that we need to go out to where these new customers are, these new fans could be,” said Shawn Layden, former PlayStation US boss.
“We need to go to where they are because they’ve decided not to go to come to my house so I’ve got to go to their house now.”
“And what’s the best way to go to their house? Why don’t I take one of our top selling games, which has already blown up the marketplace, it’s already been out there for 18 months or 24 months, there’s no real retail activity against that title, I’m not trading off one sale for another, and bring that to the personal computer platform and let them have an idea – you guys choose not to come to PlayStation but let me show you what you’re missing.”
As a business strategy, it certainly makes a lot of sense to release an exclusive long after its initial release. Layden even says how “there’s no losing in this transaction” since PC sales won’t be interfering with console sales that long after release, and in an ideal world will even persuade PC players to possibly buy a console in the future.
“It’s a way of outreach, that’s how I see it – trying to get to the people that the platform doesn’t currently speak to,” Layden added.
The statement echoes that of current PlayStation Studios Head Hermen Hulst, who recently stated that they will continue to invest in the PC platform, but to not expect simultaneous launches on PC and consoles, as PlayStation will still be the focus and the best platform to experience PlayStation games first.
What do you think? Will Sony ever release PlayStation games simultaneously on PC and consoles at launch? Or will PC players forever have to wait at least 2 years after release? Would you ever buy a PlayStation console because the exclusive was too great a temptation? Let us know!