Rumors about Sony's PC strategy are buzzing after Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier talked about it in a podcast. In his discussion, Schreier conveyed the impression that Sony was “backing away” from the habit of bringing large single-player PlayStation games to PC. This wasn't an official announcement from Sony, but Schreier's statement brought the topic into the spotlight as he is known for reporting on gaming industry issues.
No more PlayStation exclusive games for PC?
According to Gamespot, Schreier describes how Sony seems to be reducing the push to release “traditional single-player” PlayStation games on PC. The highlighted point is the type of game: the discussion goes towards single-player games that are usually the main attraction of PlayStation consoles, rather than live-service games.
Schreier also said that Sony might only release its live service game on PC. Meanwhile, the PlayStation-exclusive single-player game will remain on that gaming platform. If Schreier is right, this strategy could illustrate that Sony wants two things: PlayStation should remain a platform with the console as its main pillar, and Sony also recognizes the importance of the PC in expanding its reach.
Through its exclusive single-player games, Sony will be able to maintain PlayStation's dominance as a console. While through live service games that are also released on PC, Sony can reach a wider range of players which in turn affects its revenue.
PC starting to threaten PlayStation?
Schreier's statement is seen by some as a real strategy that Sony will implement in the near future. One of the things that reinforces this statement is Sony's move to close Bluepoint Games some time ago. Bluepoint Games is a game studio acquired by Sony that has been responsible for making remastered versions and PC ports of exclusive PlayStation games.
Also Read: Sony shuts down Bluepoint Games, cites “player behavior” as the cause
In our opinion, Sony may have been wary of the development of gaming on PC which has recently become more popular thanks to the emergence of handhelds such as SteamDeck and ROG Ally which allow gamers to play PlayStation exclusive games without a PlayStation console. Not to mention that Valve will soon release the Steam Machine, which could bring direct disruption to the console market.
Although it is said that it will not be as powerful as the PlayStation 5 Pro, the Steam Machine has already received a very good reception among gamers. The fact that the SteamDeck can play PlayStation-exclusive games like God of War, The Last of Us, and Uncharted, ensures that the Steam Machine can do the same. This might make some gamers prefer not to buy a PlayStation at all or even cancel their PlayStation Plus subscription if they already own the console.
The impact is bad for gamers
Sony has not officially announced that it will stop the release of its single-player exclusive game on PC. However, we think that this strategy will actually be bad for gamers. In our opinion, this strategy will force gamers to spend money on a PlayStation console in order to play some exclusive titles. We think gamers should be given the option to access any game on the platform of their choice without being restricted by “exclusive games”.
