Sony hopes to entice PC players to PS5 by releasing ‘tentpole’ games for console first
It has no plans to release single-player games simultaneously on PC and console
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has “high hopes” of enticing PC players to PS5 by continuing to release its “tentpole” singe-player games for console first.
While its live service games will be released simultaneously for PS5 and PC, console players will continue to receive early access to Sony’s narrative-driven titles.
Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino, who will be the new joint CEOs of SIE starting on June 1, discussed this strategy during a PlayStation business briefing on Thursday.
By delaying the PC release of sequels like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and God of War Ragnarök, Sony hope to attract users who have played the earlier games in those series off console to make the jump to PS5 in order to experience them sooner.
“Indeed, we are bringing our titles to the PC platform and we have a dual approach here,” said current PlayStation Studios head Hulst. “On the live service side, we are releasing our titles simultaneously, so day and date on PlayStation 5 and PC.
“But with our tentpole titles, our single player or narrative-driven titles that are the backbone of what PlayStation Studios has delivered in recent years and in our history, we take a more strategic approach, and we introduce our great franchises to new audiences, and we’re finding new audiences that are potentially going to be very interested in playing, for example, sequels on the PlayStation platform.
“We have high hopes that we’re actually able to bring new players into PlayStation at large, but into PlayStation platforms specifically.
“Actually, the same goes for the work that we do with extending our great properties onto other media such as television series and film, for example, as you have seen with The Last of Us on HBO or Gran Turismo the film, that brings in new players into our franchises as well.”
Nishino, who heads up PlayStation’s Platform Experience Group, also said: “Console is a technology stack that we develop from the bottom up so we can provide a very, very good excellent experience. The value of console will continue to remain and our mission is to continue polishing that.”
He added: “Of course some customers will move from PC to console. Customers who are focused on PC, if they find value, then they will go to console, so rather than cannibalisation, I think this is an opportunity for growth.”
Further reading
Sony says PS4 ‘remains an important part of our business’, with 50% of users
Sony will present a PlayStation State of Play showcase at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BST today. Running for over 30 minutes, it will include updates on 14 games coming to PS5 and PS VR2.
A highly reliable source of PlayStation leaks recently claimed that Sony plans to announce God of War Ragnarök for PC this month.
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