It might still seem like an oddity to some, or a genius move to others; the experimenting Sony has been doing lately with sending some of it’s exclusive games over to the wild world of PC gaming. Whether you like it or not, lots of titles from developers that generally focus on developing for PlayStation platforms in an exclusive capacity have been getting highly optimized PC ports with plenty of bells and whistles lately. Higher native resolutions, unlocked frame rates, and of course all the precision and other kinetic benefits that come with aiming with a mouse are just scratching the surface of what players will now be able to experience with these titles on their gaming rigs. So far, the big games that have or are making the jump from the PS4 to PC include Detroit Become Human, Death Stranding, and Horizon Zero Dawn.
While these games might seem like odd choices for the PC gaming audience, Detroit Become Human in particular, it will be interesting to see what impact that their presence on the PC platform will have on them as individual brands and the PlayStation ecosystem as a whole. The aim of doing this is likely to make more money for the developers, as the games have dropped in price significantly on PlayStation, and to potentially draw more interest from the massive PC crowd in the PlayStation family.
While PC gamers are unlikely to drop their PCs in favor of a PlayStation at this point, there is a solid case to be made for it being a second gaming machine for them if they want to experience the next Horizon game at launch. So, given that, it could be a great idea moving forward to maintain a slow-but-steady trickle of PlayStation games into the PC world as they decline in value and popularity on their original platform. With this in mind, perhaps we could help Sony out a bit with some ideas of our own that would make great fits for this type of migration for their own set of reasons.
Bloodborne
This one is an immediate no-brainer. While the Souls games have made a massive splash on every platform they’ve wound up on, Bloodborne hasn’t been given the same opportunity. So far, as of the writing of this piece, the only way to play this elegant-yet-hideous journey into From Software’s nightmare is on the PlayStation 4. While that certainly has limited its reach in some ways, it definitely made its mark within the confines of the PlayStation world and rounds out the list of PS4 exclusives nicely. As such, it has become a system-seller in it’s own right, and has brought gamers from other platforms into the fold for PlayStation, if for nothing else, to just play this game.
Not many games on the PS4 can say that to such a degree. Now that the game has largely made its impact on the platform, maybe it’s time to see what it can do for those PC gaming Dark Souls fans who weren’t quite motivated enough to get a PS4 to play it, but would still certainly get a kick out of it. Plus, many of us who did play it, would certainly find that frame rate and resolution bump a PC version would allow, enticing. Perhaps even enough to justify a re-buy for the right price.
God of War
While seeing a God of War game on anything but a PlayStation might seem a bit odd, Kratos is nothing if not a rule-breaker. If he can seamlessly migrate between mythologies, why not gaming platforms? God of War was one of PlayStation’s most iconic IPs for three generations in a row. Each game did more than its part to sell systems, with even God of War Ascension, which most agree is the worst game in the series, giving the PS3 a small bump in sales alongside it’s launch despite being fairly late in the console’s lifespan.
With all that said, there is a case to be made that perhaps Sony should keep Kratos close to the vest as a reward for buying into their ecosystem, but then again, the vast majority of PlayStation owners have either bought or decided not to buy the game at this point, and there is also a strong case to be made for what it could do as a PC experience, and a preview of what PC gamers could expect from the next game in the series, much like the role Horizon Zero Dawn will in the PC space as well.
Marvel’s Spider-Man
This one is also sort of a no-brainer. There is no denying the market-penetrating power of the Marvel brand right now. What’s more, there are few characters within that universe with a bigger fanbase than Spider-Man.
To not release Marvel’s Spider-Man on PC would be to leave a monumental amount of money on the table. While the game did sell outrageously well among PlayStation gamers, and so too will its upcoming sequel/expansion, the potential gains for Sony to put this money-printing juggernaut on PC are just too immense to ignore. It would also have the side-benefit of luring new gamers to the follow up, just as Horizon will.
The Last of Us: Part 2
The Last of Us: Part 2 already looks insane on the PS4. So, just imagine, what it would like on a high-end PC? While many PC gamers have missed out on the first game, their attachment to certain characters from the first game won’t exist, and thus, there could be a potentially large swath of PC gamers who are more open-minded to the twists and turns the story of the sequel takes. If that goes well, they could be motivated to pick up a PS4 or PS5 to try out the remastered original game as well as the inevitable part 3.
Persona 5: Royal
With the steady migration of JRPG fans moving to PC gaming over the last many years for optimized versions of the Neptunia games and many others, it would make sense to see what sort of an impact Persona 5 could make in that space. While PlayStation, I would argue, will always be an ideal place to play the cream of the crop of the genre, giving PC JRPG fans a taste of what they’ve been missing over at PlayStation could be a great way to bring in some more dough for Atlus and Sega.
Persona 5 has been one of the PS4’s most successful system sellers as an exclusive, but like many of the PS4 exclusives in 2020, it has largely made its impact and already moved the majority of the consoles it’s going to move as it currently stands. Also, like many of the PS4 exclusives, as a discounted late arrival to PC, it could give a large audience pause and a compelling reason to give PlayStation another look.
Odds are, this experiment with PlayStation dipping their toes into syndicating their exclusives to the PC sphere will continue to some degree. And while Sony should definitely be careful with it, it’s definitely an interesting frontier for Sony that could yield great results for them long-term if they play their cards right.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.