It has been a long few months of rumors and reports as to whether PlayStation will be backing away from multi-platform releases, and now CEO Hideaki Nishino has made it clear that it could likely be the end of single-player PS5 games on PC. PlayStation has significantly reduced the number of ports to PC, and this year we have practically no noticeable releases.
It's been a time of change for both Xbox and PlayStation. While both companies began to embrace other platforms, effectively putting the infamous “console wars” to bed, it seems that this time of peace is now over. Gears of War: E-Day will now be an Xbox console exclusive, and recent reports claim that PlayStation is pulling back from PC almost entirely. Amid all the back and forth, PlayStation CEO Hideako Nishino delivered a statement about where the company stands on PC.
It's the end of an era for PlayStation games on PC
PlayStation is announcing a big change for exclusive PS5 games that are expected to launch on PC as fans await the ports of Ghost of Yotei and Saros.
PlayStation CEO clarifies that single-player PS5 games may not come to PC, but Live-Service is on the table
In a recent interview with Famitsu, PlayStation CEO Hideako Nishino clarified that the company will focus on delivering single-player games on PlayStation to “refine the value of the gaming experience that PlayStation can offer.” But Nishino also says that live service games that need to reach a wider audience through online multiplayer are likely to remain multi-platform on PS5 and PC. Nishino believes that platform selection will be based on what “maximizes” the gaming experience going forward. Essentially, the PS5 retains its games to maintain the value of owning a PS5. The translated interview by Genki_JPN is above.
Drag weapons to fill the grid
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Drag weapons to fill the grid
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Bloomberg's Jason Schreier has also reported that PlayStation is backing away from PC, noting that CEO Herman Hulst has been a bit firmer behind closed doors about where the company stands on multi-platform releases. A recent PlayStation town hall apparently had Hulst tell staff that the company's blockbuster single-player narrative games will be PS5 titles, confirming what Nishino recently told Famitsu. Hulst's apparent reasoning behind PlayStation's pivot away from PC releases is that the ports weren't making enough money, the company was inconsistent with its releases, and ultimately PlayStation wants to keep its IP in line with its platform.
In some respects, Hulst is right about some pain points with their PC releases. For example, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was a remarkable mess at launch, plagued by bugs and performance issues, and still has technical issues to this day. In the meantime, The last of us part 1 was another notoriously bad port that improved over time, but still dampened expectations for PlayStation ports going forward. But some titles were actually pretty good, like Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collections excellent PC port. When it came to port inconsistencies, Hulst was certainly right, but it seems far from a reason to back away from PC entirely.
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
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Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
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That said, PlayStation wanting to adapt its core franchises to its own platform makes the most sense as to why it's pulling away from PC. Xbox is also now shying away from multi-platform releases, so of course PlayStation may feel the need to stop playing nice as well. Also, console production costs have started to skyrocket, and having a consumer base that is likely to wait for the next PS5 exclusive to release on PC instead of going out and buying a console might not be the best business move. Wherever either company ends up ahead, it really feels like the “console wars” are back after a brief lull.
