The news of the week, and probably of the month, is that God of War, the game of PlayStation Studios and Sony Santa Monica Exclusive to PS4, it will arrive on PC on January 14, 2022. On the one hand, the joy is enormous: it is great that compatible players can enjoy the game. But, on the other hand, I have one bitter feeling Which leads me to think that Sony raises this market as a place to put baits: Kratos’ adventure still makes you fall in love, but for now it is only certain that you can finish it on PlayStation 5.
I have to tell you that the news to me I was not surprised too. I think it is evident since the strategy of PlayStation with respect to the PC has changed and their games are going to be coming out. In fact, it is good to remember that one of the latest studies that PlayStation has bought is Nixxes, which joins the company to make ports of its games to PC. As if this were not enough, the Jim ryan, boss PlayStation, said recently that he wanted PlayStation games to reach more people.
Will we see all the big titles on PC? I don’t know, but of course Sony has one tremendous advantage: It has many incredible video games to be released almost at full price. The business is fantastic: games that cost a few euros on PS4 come out on PC with some improvements for much more value, which gives PlayStation a benefit extra with little effort in older video games.
PC is not there just to capture an audience
The question is: Why does PlayStation he does not finish betting 100% by the PC? Their games have a large audience in compatible and many players on the platform dream of seeing their games, as happens with Bloodborne, one of the most played on PlayStation Now by PC users (what a coincidence, right?). Horizon: Zero Dawn and Days Gone have worked well, and God of War is already sweeping sales and they only just announced it.
Honestly, the only valid answer that comes to my mind is that they are using the PC for capture even more audience. But does PlayStation need it? PS4 has sold more than 116 million consoles and PS5 is selling at an even faster rate. That brutal demand and the semiconductor shortage problem make it impossible for PlayStation to satisfy all users with units of the new console.
PlayStation is one of the most successful brands in the industry and has a great reputation. I don’t think I need to release Horizon: Zero Dawn on PC to tell more people “hey, the sequel is out next year and it’s going to be great, but it’ll be on PS5” (no one said this, but that’s the impression I get. ). It doesn’t seem right to me nor is it fair that the games are released 3 or 4 years after their original release. Because, what a coincidence, another of those to be released, God of War, will receive its sequel in 2022 on PlayStation 5.
This trend is broken a bit by Days Gone (which in my opinion was released as a test, since it did not go very well on PS4) and the next Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection, although here I also see some intentionality in promoting the saga more (remember that the film will arrive in 2022) and the work of Naughty dog. The Last of Us 2 will receive a multiplayer mode in the future and perhaps more content, and even next-gen improvements on PS5; It can also perfectly serve to convince new players by giving them a test of what the studio is capable of.
Waiting three or four years is not fair
Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection will be released on PC after PS5. It is not known how much time will pass between one launch and another, but PlayStation has already said that it would not be simultaneous. What’s more, former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden said that great PlayStation games will never come to PS5 and PC at the same time, although he insisted that strategy is take them out years later.
Perhaps this can be a solution if the brand considers it very important keep exclusive games on PlayStation 5, as long as the time difference isn’t huge. Because, let’s not be innocent either, the exclusivities are relevant. There is a great trend now to go against them, but they are still fundamental at a strategic level.
Still, I don’t think releasing a PlayStation game at the same time on PS5 and PC is a problem. Keep in mind that the average player profile from PlayStation and PC consoles it’s very different. Apart from that, there are people who prefer to have a machine that serves only to play because, in addition, it is cheaper buy a PS5 than an equivalent PC. Finally, although many of us are used to dealing with a computer, there are many players who do not understand of configurations and other intrinsic aspects of the PC.
What I mean by this is that I doubt a lot that releasing a game the same day of release on PS5 and PC is going to affect very negatively to PlayStation 5 sales. Moreover, if we consider that PlayStation cannot produce as many as it wants and is not capable of increasing the player base at an optimal rate, yet makes more sense launch the news at the same time in both places or, at least, with little time difference (I don’t know, 6 months at the most?).
All the money is for them and sales will increase, sure, and let’s not forget that the production costs of videogames are shooting up. Also, let’s face it: PlayStation Studios tend to make great games, and that doesn’t come cheap. In this way, the funding would be higher and it would be possible to create even more incredible video games that remain in our memory.
In fact, I think of Returnal. The game of Housemarque, study that by the way has bought PlayStation recently, sold more than 560,000 units in its beginnings, with a base of about 10 million PS5 in the market. I have enjoyed the game and I am convinced that would sweep PCIt is very close to the profile of what many players are looking for on the platform.
Because let’s not forget one thing: exclusive first-party PlayStation games sell less of what one would think, taking into account the number of consoles sold. God of War himself, which has sold a whopping 20 million copies, doesn’t even meet a 1: 4 ratio (one game sold for every four PS4 consoles sold).
Ghost of Tsushima, to take another example, has sold 6.5 million copies. And they are two great games! They are scandal numbers, don’t get me wrong, but they also tell us that the PlayStation audience is much more casual than you might expect, because I certainly believe that their games deserve to be bought by even more people because of the quality they treasure.
PC Gaming is constantly growing
Microsoft has done well on this. The Pc is part of Xbox ecosystem And indeed, Xbox Game Pass is an increasingly even service between consoles and computers. PlayStation has to bet without fear on the PC as a platform, because the time has changed. Many gamers are beginning to view exclusivities less well, also because today there are content creators who upload full games to video platforms on day one. And, although of course playing is not the same as watching, there are people who consume those gameplays and it is enough for them, because they cannot or do not want to buy another console.
Beyond that, the PC gaming is booming. The coronavirus pandemic made, for example, Steam see more than 26 million simultaneous players and the health of the platform is more than clear. In fact, a study has already come out stating that the market for computers for video games continues to grow. What’s more, there are other interesting examples in the industry: Capcom He has assured that he wants computers to be his best-selling platform in the future. PlayStation, do not hesitate, it will work out for you. Now only you are left Nintendo.