In a recent interview with What’s Up PlayStation, ex-PlayStation Worldwide Studios head Shawn Layden expressed his thoughts about the possibility of releasing Sony’s first-party titles on PC simultaneously alongside consoles. In the interview, he revealed that Sony’s current strategy doesn’t allow for such an approach, and it seems highly unlikely that it will change in the future. Check out the video below.
Sony usually puts its first-party exclusives after a while on PC, if that, with gaps extending well over a year. This is, of course, a way to increase the value of an IP by increasing its install base and fan-base, which will then entice more consumers to buy into Sony’s consoles when the next entry in the franchise will release exclusively for its platform.
“The idea of going to PC—and I don’t think you’ll ever see PlayStation do a day and date with PC, but you know, never say never—but the strategy as we were developing it when I was there was that we need to go out to where these new customers are, these new fans could be,” Layden said (as transcribed by VGC).
“We need to go to where they are because they’ve decided not to go to come to my house so I’ve got to go to their house now. And what’s the best way to go to their house? Why don’t I take one of our top-selling games, which has already blown up the marketplace, it’s already been out there for 18 months or 24 months, there’s no real retail activity against that title, I’m not trading off one sale for another, and bring that to the personal computer platform and let them have an idea – you guys choose not to come to PlayStation but let me show you what you’re missing.”
This strategy seems to be working incredibly well for Sony, as many fans are now clamoring to buy a PS5 to experience new entries in fan-beloved franchises like Horizon Forbidden West after playing games like Horizon Zero Dawn or Days Gone on PC a while back. Of course, Layden has hinted that it could change depending on customer behavior sometime in the future – but fans shouldn’t get their hopes too high for now.
