A couple of months ago, a rumor began circulating that didn't sit well with the gaming community: Sony was considering ceasing to port its titles to PC. The main reason seemed to be low PC sales and lower-than-expected revenue, leading them to believe it wasn't worth investing time and money. Now, the studio's CEO has confirmed it.
I would put "confirmed," because you never know. But, according to Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, who has Published on BlueskyHermen Hulst, CEO of PlayStation's studio business, has said that «The company's single-player narrative games will now be exclusive to PlayStation"With this move, they would seek to strengthen themselves as a platform, getting closer to the business model of Nintendo, a company that has loyal followers and even fans."
Sony's change of heart
Sony has brought many PlayStation games to PC. Sales haven't met expectations, and the company has faced criticism for requiring a PlayStation Network account. For example, on Steam, we have titles like Horizon Zero Dawn (my personal favorite), the God of War games from the Norse saga, The Last of Us, Stellar Blade, and many more, almost always with modest sales.
Platform strategy aside, ceasing to bring their games to PC seems the most logical course of action: if they don't recoup their investment and, on top of that, receive criticism, there's little more to discuss. But perhaps there's something they haven't considered.
Incidentally, multiplayer titles would continue to be brought to PC.
They don't sell that well on PC... maybe because of when they arrive?
When you use social media or read a little online, you see that PC gamers complain about when games are released on computersTo give a few examples, Horizon Forbidden West was released in 2022, while Steam arrived two years later. But God of War, the first in the Norse saga, is a 2018 title that came to Windows in 2022.
Many gamers have a personality that makes them prefer the newest releases and dislike receiving second-rate treatment. The most common comment is that Sony has brought its titles to PC. several years after its launchAnd the wait is painful. In the end, it seems to be the wear and tear (or spite) that makes titles lose their appeal years after their release.
XBOX, the Steam Machine and the consoles
In my opinion, Sony is making a mistake. Their timing hasn't been right. It seems they've taken a page from Nintendo's book, but now is not the time to establish a strong platform. Not anymore. Nintendo is a company that has existed since the 19th century, although what interests us most took place in the 1970s. That's when they started with electronic toys, and then in the 1980s they gave us the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).
From the very beginning, over 40 years ago, Nintendo has aimed to be a platform, and it has succeeded. Its most recent products, like the Switch 2, are a success, thanks in part to the legion of fans it has cultivated over the years. Sony started with consoles in the '90s, and its path hasn't been as clear. It has had to compete with Microsoft, and it doesn't have the brand image that Nintendo has.
XBOX (now in all caps, yes) is thinking in a completely opposite direction: its next console will be almost entirely a PC, and everything Xbox will be available on PC and vice versa. The Steam Machinewhich is a computer that will be launched with Linux, but it doesn't force us to stay there (Windows can be installed).
Sony is not and will not be Nintendo
Sony is going to try to capture the same legion of fans that Nintendo has, and we'll have to see if they succeed. Honestly, when I read the words of the PlayStation CEO, my first thought was whether I could manage to have both a PC and a PlayStation, and I concluded that I couldn't. Then I thought about what PS6 emulation will be like in the future, and finally, I hope they "see the light" and bring their games back to PC, but this time, while they still have time.