Sony Comments on Risk of Losing PS5 Users to PC

by

Summary

  • Sony isn’t worried about losing PS5 users to PC.
  • Historical PS5 sales are mostly on par with the PS4, even though the newer console doesn’t have the promise of permanent exclusives.
  • Sony plans to get more “aggressive” with PlayStation PC ports in the future.

A representative from Sony stated that they don’t foresee a significant shift of PlayStation console users towards PC gaming, based on their current assessment. This viewpoint was disclosed during a discussion about how Sony incorporates PC platforms into their game publishing strategy.

Since 2020, Sony has been releasing some of its exclusive games for PC platforms, starting with “Horizon Zero Dawn”. Their endeavors in this area have grown more vigorous since then, particularly after they purchased the PC porting specialist, Nixxes, in 2021.

Moving PlayStation exclusives to PC broadens their audience and earning possibilities, but could potentially lessen the distinct appeal of Sony’s hardware in theory. However, in reality, Sony doesn’t seem overly worried about losing PS5 users to PC gaming, as a company representative indicated during an investor Q&A session in late 2024. “Regarding losing users to PCs, we haven’t observed any such trend yet, and we don’t currently view it as a significant concern,” the official stated.

PS5 Sales Are Seemingly Unaffected By Sony’s PC Porting Efforts

From Sony’s standpoint, their current viewpoint mirrors their recent success in the hardware sector. The latest reported PS5 sales figures show that as of November 2024, the console has sold approximately 65.5 million units. This figure is quite close to the PS4, which sold more than 73 million units within its first four years on the market. The small disparity between the two consoles’ sales can be mostly attributed to the scarcity of the PS5 due to the pandemic, rather than a lack of exclusive games for the console. Given that Sony’s console sales have remained consistent across generations, it’s not surprising that they consider ports for PC as having little effect on the overall value proposition of the PS5.

Regarding the potential shift of users from mobile devices to computers, we haven’t found any evidence suggesting this trend is occurring yet, and at present, we don’t view it as a significant concern.

Sony, the company behind PlayStation, is anticipated to not just persist with their efforts to bring PlayStation games to PC, but potentially intensify them. In 2024, Sony President Hiroki Totoki expressed that the company aims to be more “bold” in terms of PlayStation PC ports, meaning they would aim to release PS5 and Steam versions closer together. This strategy is evident with the upcoming release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, scheduled for PC on January 30, just 15 months after its initial launch. Previously, the game Spider-Man: Miles Morales, another title from Insomniac’s series, was a PlayStation exclusive for about two years.

In addition to Spider-Man 2, PC gamers also have Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on their radar this month as it is set to release on Steam on January 23rd. Sony currently has a number of highly anticipated PS5 exclusives that have yet to be confirmed for PC, such as Gran Turismo 7, Rise of the Ronin, Stellar Blade, and the remake of Demon’s Souls.

Read More

2025-01-06 02:43