Sony has been lagging behind bringing their PlayStation first-party franchises to the PC crowd. An absolutely massive player base is just waiting to play the heavy-hitting PlayStation lineup, and it appears that more and more is going to make its way off of the PlayStation consoles. It appears Sony might be realizing its sales potential.
Why The Slow Drip?
Make no mistake, Sony isn’t in a position where they need to port their games to PC. They generally have some of the highest selling exclusives of any of the big three, and certainly almost always outsell their main competitor, Microsoft. But one thing will always be true, consoles have a finite user base. That is especially so in a time where it is ridiculously hard for the console manufacturers to produce their newest consoles. The wonderful thing about PCs however, is that they are somewhat future proof, and you don’t ever have to have the best rig to play current games. It is still nearly impossible to get a new GPU, but a rig ten years old can still run current games. No… really. I just sent my 970 to the afterlife, and it was still chugging along.
Will The Games Ever Be Day and Date?
The wait for PlayStation titles to eventually come to PC is a bit aggravating but not all that unfounded. Unlike how Microsoft couldn’t care less where you play their titles, it seems that Sony still caters to their console players. Admittedly, it’s because the selling power of their top exclusives is untouchable.
Here’s a look at the time from their console release to their PC release:
- Horizon Zero Dawn: Feb 28, 2017 → Aug. 7, 2020
- Days Gone: April 26, 2019 → May 18, 2021
- God of War: April 20, 2018 → Jan. 14, 2022
I’ve been dead wrong on a lot about PlayStation console exclusives coming to PC, but I still don’t feel that they will ever drastically shorten the time from console to PC. Having said that, I could see smaller AA titles having a shortened release window between the two.
How Successful Has it Been?
The sample size is pretty small, but I have to imagine Sony is more than happy with their early results. A screenshot from a presentation on Sony’s investor relations site shows the power of their IP when in the hands of a new or at least overlapping audience.
That’s an expectation of making $300 million in FY 2022! That’s a 275% increase YOY. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is the next PlayStation exclusive arriving on PC and that one will surely match or exceed God of War’s initial totals.
You can go back a few podcasts where I say that Sony would never port their games over to PC. I am more than happy to be wrong with that point. While I can’t imagine PC players will ever get a day and date release, playing at max settings and having control over graphical settings is now possible with a growing number of PlayStation exclusives. This is one of those instances where the deal is equally as good for the consumers as it is the company.
