Sony has outlined its approach to releasing games on multiple platforms, as it tries to entice PC players into the PlayStation ecosystem.
Over the past few years we’ve seen many PlayStation exclusives make their way over to PC, including The Last Of Us, God Of War, and Ghost Of Tsushima.
While all these titles were released on PlayStation years prior, the success of the Sony-published Helldivers 2, which launched simultaneously across PS5 and PC earlier this year, suggested we might see the company adopt this strategy more often with its exclusive titles generally.
Sony, however, has outlined how it has ‘dual approach’ in deciding when to launch PS5 games on PC, in the hopes of getting PC players to buy a PlayStation console.
Speaking about PlayStation’s strategy in a business briefing, new co-CEO Hermen Hulst reaffirmed that future live service games from Sony will come to PC and PS5 on the same date – but not ‘tentpole’ titles.
‘Indeed, we are bringing our titles to the PC platform and we have a dual approach here,’ Hulst said. ‘On the live service side, we are releasing our titles simultaneously, so day and date on PlayStation 5 and PC.
‘But with our tentpole titles – our single player or narrative-driven titles that are the backbone of what PlayStation Studios has delivered in recent years and in our history – we take a more strategic approach. We introduce our great franchises to new audiences, and we’re finding new audiences that are potentially going to be very interested in playing, for example, sequels on the PlayStation platform.
‘We have high hopes that we’re actually able to bring new players into PlayStation at large, but into PlayStation platforms specifically.’
Hulst also highlighted TV shows and films based on PlayStation IP, like The Last Of Us and Gran Turismo, as a method of ‘bringing in new players into our franchises as well’.
While it’s a sound strategy in theory, it is perhaps overestimating the appeal of playing PlayStation’s ‘tentpole’ games early, especially as the gap between PS5 and PC releases isn’t too long. Both Returnal and Horizon Forbidden West, for example, arrived on PC two years after they came out on PS5.
Whether this strategy ends up changing remains to be seen, but Sony probably won’t adjust its approach to future live service titles anytime soon, considering how successful Helldivers 2 has been.
Sony’s next key live service title looks set to be multiplayer shooter Concord, which is scheduled to be released on PS5 and PC in 2024.
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