Sony Takes The First Step Towards Putting PlayStation Games On PC
We could be looking at another shift in the gaming world with Sony reportedly about to bring Playstation games over to the PC.
This article is more than 2 years old
Though seemingly over, the console wars still rage on, turning into gaming subscription wars, in which Xbox Game Pass clearly takes the win over PlayStation’s PlayStation Plus service. Microsoft was first to realize the untapped market potential and revenue0 increase in bringing their Xbox console title to PC, through their Game Pass service. And now, after a ton of harsh criticism over their PS Now and PS Plus services, Sony takes the first step towards putting PlayStation games on PC.
According to Reddit page r/GamingLeaksAndRumours, Sony just started making a PlayStation publisher page on Steam and added “Franchise: PlayStation Studios” on their Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone pages. Unfortunately, the alleged publisher page is still empty, but it’s still a work in progress, according to the source. Does this really mean that Sony is bringing their games to the PC? Well, both Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone started out as PlayStation exclusives, but their respective pages on Steam now display almost identical system requirements for PC hardware. As for the alleged publisher’s page, well, nothing is confirmed at the time of writing.
The second half of PlayStation 4’s life cycle produces some of the gaming’s most notable titles, like Horizon Zero Dawn, which already ported to the PC, and Days Gone, which is set to release on PC this spring. Sony exposed those titles to a broader audience and finally realized the financial potential of the PC market – especially considering that PC holds 49% of gaming’s market share. That means that Sony has to split the remaining 51% with Xbox, which already has its fingers in the PC’s market share. In layman’s terms, a substantial financial loss for Sony.
Historically speaking, Sony was never keen on a PC as a gaming platform for its releases. And why would it be? Its titles were already fully optimized to work on PlayStation consoles when PC hardware struggled to keep up with the same level of gaming quality. However, times changed, and PC was eventually declared a winner in the console wars, prompting Microsoft to tap into the PC gaming market with its Xbox titles and exclusives under its Game Pass subscription service. During that time, Sony kept its exclusives until PlayStation owners realized the superior service that comes with Microsoft’s Game Pass.
Sony was initially criticized by PS fans for porting its titles to the PC, and many were concerned that their consoles would become obsolete when Sony finally gives in to PC gaming. However, their opinions changed with the latest release of MLB: The Show 21, which leaped to the Game Pass, offering its users a Sony-developed title for almost seven times lower price. And this didn’t sit well with PlayStation owners.
The fandom’s uproar on social media implored Sony to find an effective counterpunch to Xbox Game Pass but prompted very little public response from the company. Could this rumor hold the truth as part of Sony’s strategy to appease the PlayStation owners and earn more money in the process? We live in a time when the IP releases cover console production costs, so it actually adds up. Unfortunately, Sony didn’t issue any official statement on the matter at the time of writing, so the readers should take this information with the grain of salt over their discussions on playing God of War on a PC.
