PlayStation Exec Says PC Game Ports Not Ruled Out, Insider Rumors Argue There Is No Ambiguity

There has been much commotion when it comes to console vs. PC game release strategies from both Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox Game Studios, with recent commentary by PlayStation CEO, Hideaki Nishino, to Famitsu magazine expanding on previous rumors of PlayStation all but moving away from PC ports for its single-player games. According to the Nishino, the release platforms of PlayStation games will be determined by the characteristics of the game, and games will only be released on PC if the platform can “maximize” the gaming experience of the game. He went on to explain that this effectively boils down to the same thing being repeated by prior rumors: live-service multiplayer games will release to PC, while single-player narrative experiences will be kept on PlayStation in order to deliver value on the platform, however, the CEO did not exclusively rule out PC ports.

Commentary by Bloomberg games journalist, Jason Schreier, on the ResetEra forums, however, argues that the line is much more black and white than that, with the reporter stating that two sources told him that a town hall meeting two weeks ago saw Hermen Hulst, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, confirm that single-player narrative games will be PlayStation exclusive, with the console maker wanting to “keep their IP aligned to their own platform.” The justification for the return to PS-exclusives was that first-party PlayStation games just haven’t made enough money as PC ports to justify the work, which is much the same as what was hinted at in previous rumors, as well. As for multi-player games, Sony wants to reach as wide an audience as possible, since those games depend on having a large player-base, so having as many players as possible enhances the gameplay for all platforms.

Jason Schreier on ResetEra ForumI guess they’re not going to lay this out publicly, but there’s no ambiguity in their strategy. During a townhall a few weeks ago, Hermen Hulst told staff that their single-player narrative games will be PlayStation only, and he explained that they were inconsistent with their PC releases, they didn’t make enough money, and they want to keep their IP aligned to their own platform. Confirmed this with two people who heard him say it. There’s no “case by case” here.