A former Sony boss has revealed an insight into the company’s perspective on bringing PlayStation-exclusive titles over to PC, and it essentially confirms what every PC gamer has been thinking this whole time.
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Up until just a few years ago, if someone suggested that Sony would bring PlayStation-exclusive titles over to PC, that person would have been called stupid. However, that has now become the norm, with titles such as the God of War franchise, Spider-Man, Horizon series, and more heading over to PC after timed exclusivity on PlayStation. So, what has changed? The market as a whole has shifted away from gatekeeping titles to specific platforms, and while there’s a myriad of reasons contributing to the general shift, one of the main reasons is simply… money (I can picture the shock on your face).
Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida discussed in a recent interview with Sacred Symbols+ Sony releasing first-party titles on PC and how it benefits PlayStation as a whole. Yoshida said, “Releasing on PC does many things: it reaches a new audience who do not own consoles–especially in regions where consoles are not as popular.” Adding, “The idea is that those people may become fans of a particular franchise, and when a new game in that series comes out, they may be convinced to purchase a PlayStation.“
Judging from these comments, the PC version of the a former PlayStation exclusive title acts as essentially an advertisement to PC gamers. If the PC gamers love the PS exclusive title, which they are playing long after the game has released on PlayStation, there’s a chance they will go out and purchase a PlayStation to play the next game in the series when it launches instead of waiting approximately a year for the PC port.
“It also adds additional income, because porting to PC is way cheaper than creating an original title. So, it’s almost like printing money. And that helps us to invest in new titles now that the cost of games has increased,” said Yoshida