• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

[Bloomberg] Sony Pulls Back From PlayStation Games on PC (Ghost of Yotei port and other internally developerd games scrapped)

like i said i dont expect every xbox fan to go to PS. Most obviously went to PC, but exclusives are important and as soon as HZD was ported in 2020, I called it....everything would get ported to PC. People saw the writing on the wall just like i did. You all called me chicken little and herman tried his best to lie for a good two years, but people are not dumb. If sony was willing to port horizon, days gone, and gow by 2022, everyone knew what was coming. Especially after they bought nixxes in 2021. those few years were crucial because on the PC side, the GPU shortage finally ended and i was able to pick up a 3080 in April of 2022.
Those early years were crucial but nothing they could have done about it when they didn't have hardware units to sell. They only resolved their hardware supply issues fully in late 2023. Their porting took off as a response to that unforseen shortfall which would have affected software projections. They bought nixxes to cut porting costs and free their internal studios from that burden. Notice their internal studios afterwards cooled off on the PC releases after late 2023. We still don't have Astrobot from 2024, we won't get Yotei. I imagine this is what we are going to see continuing on, third party deals are a different story.

We dont know how many fall in the same bracket as me, but we do know that Xbox sold 30 million fewer units, PS5 sold about the same, and Nintendo switch sales had crashed 30% year on year by 2024. these guys were selling like 20 million units during the covid boom. Thats a huge chunk of users sony effectively gave up on. I dont know about you but i know several kids in my family who had their parents build them PCs instead of buying PS5. they were all getting too old for nintendo and wouldve typically moved on to consoles. i went from buying them switch games to buying them steam gift cards in a span of the last couple of years.

Anecdotal i know but the lack of a sales bump despite MS effectively leaving the business is kinda telling.
Yeah it's difficult to guess what effect it had but I assume they have more than anecdotal data to go on to make these sort of decisions.
 
They wanted to bait Microsoft?

Wouldn't be the first time they have tried..Sony is run by snakes.
 
Last edited:
Makes a lot of sense

Exclusives matter. Besides the lackluster sales on PC, I think someone at Playstation must've felt they were becoming too much like Xbox. Had to pull back
 
Maybe you're ignoring the fact that the rest all got ported to PC due to the initiative that the article is referring to? But also, Demon's Souls, Gran Turismo 7 and Astro Bot!

i'm not 'ignoring' anything - made sense to sony at the time, & what's done's done. as for the games you named? if even a big fan like yourself can only manage to name 3, you're only bolstering my point: how about actually creating a few more 'big' games before deciding what to do or not do with them?...
 


OBVIOUSLY.

But seriously, are they now reconsidering something we've known since they started their strategy toward the PC?

What do you think Nintendo has been doing all these years it's been in the industry?
 
Last edited:
Live reaction of PC players:

oh-no.gif
Sure Jan GIF

This thread is FULL of meltdowns.
 
This is the right business decision.

Feeding other companies/stores with royalties every single time you sell a game is dumb if your company has its own store/hardware.
especially on PC where you have third party key sites selling games for cheap by selling you keys from regions where games are cheaper.

Sony said they sold 880k units of days gone in the first 6 months for $22 million in revenue. GOW 2018, they sold a million in 3 months, and revenue was $28 million. it was well under 50%. Yes, they were losing 30% to steam, but another 20-25% to key sites undercutting their launch MSRPs.
 
i'm not 'ignoring' anything - made sense to sony at the time, & what's done's done. as for the games you named? if even a big fan like yourself can only manage to name 3, you're only bolstering my point: how about actually creating a few more 'big' games before deciding what to do or not do with them?...
I literally explained to you why I can't name more than 3:
the rest all got ported to PC due to the initiative that the article is referring to
It's not that these big games did not exist, they were just not exclusive anymore due the PC porting initiative we're literally talking about.
 
Did you read the recent news? This thing is dead.
Got nothing to do with your statement, PCMR always begged for Bloodborne and when the Demon's Souls remake released, suddenly they piqued interest in that one too
This never gets tossed Nintendo's way on here (or anywhere). I wonder why it's only an issue when Sony does or doesn't do something?
True, back in the day when people were singing kumbaya while claiming all games going multiplatform were the best thing for consumers, no one pushed this towards Nintendo, I get Nintendo fans not doing it for obvious reasons, but those "wanting the best for consumers" never tried to apply the same push with that brand in particular, wonder why...

How is this news? It's been like that from the start, it's also why I always stated sending your games to PC would make the average Joe forget about any PS+ subs which is free money lost for some fraction of the sales in other platforms and that's without taking in consideration the 30% cut
 

Alright but... so what? I don't really get the logic here.
No one who was playing only on PC and buying some playstation game on pc, would suddenly completely switch to ps5 AND buy everything (even multiplatform stuff) on ps5 instead of PC. This is not really an argument lol
 

This is what i'm always saying here. Sony is a platform first...games developer second. Literally how they started. Their games are just what sets them apart. That's all.

If Sony were given 2 choices: sell all of their studios and be a 1st party platform or stop having 3rd party games and only their exclusive content, the choice is damn obvious.

Sony needs their platform to make money.
On PS store: all games from other studios gives them 30%. 100% of their internal studios gos to their pockets.
On steam: They get nothing from 3rd party games and only 70% of their own games.

I mean...the choice is obvious.

There's also the fact they are getting ready to have multiple entry points for next gen: home console, portable console and cloud-based console (whether that's PS Portal or something similar). That's how they will get more people on their ecosystem...different points of entry for different prices.

Selling their games on steam won't help them long term nor will make them more money.
 
I'm not pissed but I built a PC for the living room once both Xbox and Playstation was on PC.

And now I've learned that their 1st party games are rare like unicorns these days because of long dev times, and tbh insignificant enough in my life that I can't justify buying hardware specifically for them.

So, yeah, in a way they lost me because of the PC ports.

If I didn't have a PC in the living room I would very likely still think consoles served a purpose. Comfy couch gaming has always been important for me.
Ahhh, another fake lifelong pc fan.
 
it's kinda different in this case as this is not a politically-driven topic. the forum went full PCMR by now and it clearly shows
You have a good point but I would argue the culture there has been the way it is for so long that it lends itself to elevated emotional states and dramatic outbursts even outside of more controversial topics.
 
  • They have struggled to diversify their business into the live service market
  • They have failed at targeting the PC userbase
  • The entire PlayStation business is now reliant on adult males who are +30 years old above, who have less time to play due to their careers
  • Kids are not buying consoles - they are on Roblox/Fortnite

Video games industry is in deep trouble
 
Last edited:
OBVIOUSLY.

But seriously, are they now reconsidering something we've known since they started their strategy toward the PC?
It was a short term strategy put in place by a bumbling buffoon who was forced to retire early. His deputy and successor was demoted six months into the co-CEO role. Both Herman and Jimbo made a bunch of moronic gaming decisions that defy common sense. Sony is now course correcting after realizing they promoted the wrong stooges.

Here are some of the highlights:

- $3.6 billion for Bungie.
- 6 new studios signed to make GaaS games. Zero new releases.
- 9 out of the 12 GaaS games lit internally and were set to release by 2025 were cancelled. One was cancelled a week after launch. Two others were delayed to 2026 and beyond.
- Ported every single game to PC. Most to disastrous concurrent user numbers.
- 6 studio shutdowns. 900 layoffs, even from industry leading studios like ND, GG and Insomniac where just getting a job is next to impossible.
- Cross gen games from SSM, GG and PD. Now find themselves struggling to get PS4 owners to upgrade in the absence of big games like GT, GOW and Horizon.
 
Last edited:
Alright but... so what? I don't really get the logic here.
No one who was playing only on PC and buying some playstation game on pc, would suddenly completely switch to ps5 AND buy everything (even multiplatform stuff) on ps5 instead of PC. This is not really an argument lol

You don't need to completely switch from PC to PS, I swap between buying multiplatform stuff on PS and PC all the time. There's no rule that you can't do both.
 
And?

They're not a right or a privilege.
I mean if you can't see how many PC players are going to feel shafted I dno what to tell you. They won't be on this forum, but the games sold many millions didn't they. I don't just think selfishly hence my original comment feeling bad for those guys
 
I literally explained to you why I can't name more than 3:

It's not that these big games did not exist, they were just not exclusive anymore due the PC porting initiative we're literally talking about.
agreed. so what're we talking about? 5 games, max. one of which was released 6 years ago, & one of which hasn't been. so all i'm saying is how about sony actually creating some 'big' games first, & then talking policy changes? cuz all they're really saying is:

'a bunch of games that don't even exist yet won't be coming to pc!'...
 
Last edited:
You don't need to completely switch from PC to PS, I swap between buying multiplatform stuff on PS and PC all the time. There's no rule that you can't do both.
I'm not saying you can't do that, but the quoted message from Jason Schrier implies that exclusives would be good so people move to ps5 and buy everything there to get the 30% on multiplatform stuff. This won't happen with people who play on PC, they would just buy the exclusives and nothing else, so this doesn't work.
 
Last edited:
Yeah it's difficult to guess what effect it had but I assume they have more than anecdotal data to go on to make these sort of decisions.
True, but its safe to assume the latest data they have forced them to make this drastic reversal of policy.
 
With the way current PC hardware prices and availability is going, buying a PS6 instead wouldn't be that bad (if the shitshow continues), if it's good enough and has great games.
Now I wonder what games were in dev for PC before being scrapped, if GT7 was one of them or DS, I would be a bit mad.

Xbox is seemingly dying, therefore I guess this is alright and not surprising that Sony wants to "be itself" more.
 
I mean if you can't see how many PC players are going to feel shafted I dno what to tell you. They won't be on this forum, but the games sold many millions didn't they. I don't just think selfishly hence my original comment feeling bad for those guys
Their PC isn't going anywhere, so how are they "shafted?"

The games they already bought are not going anywhere either.

They were never promised every game. Ever.
 
I'm not saying you can't do that, but the quoted message from Jason Schrier implies that exclusives would be good so people move to ps5 and buy everything there to get the 30% on multiplatform stuff. This won't happen with people who play on PC, they would just buy the exclusives and nothing else, so this doesn't work.

Exclusives are a mechanism to expose someone to the ecosystem and keep them within that ecosystem. Saying absolutely no one is going to buy anything other than exclusives just because they have a PC is nonsense. It's not that simple.
 
I tried getting into ghost game but got bored after couple of hours. But on the other hand nioh series is pretty awesome.
 
Nothing. The pc world isnt playstation. If they leave, then nothing.
We had pc before Sony, and we will do when sony is gone.

They will just crawl back. No one asked for them to port their games on PC. They did.
But you said "ill just wait they will come back" why are you waiting ? It seems like you have conflicting thoughts my friend.

And you seem too much angered to have lost nothing btw
 
Exclusives are a mechanism to expose someone to the ecosystem and keep them within that ecosystem. Saying absolutely no one is going to buy anything other than exclusives just because they have a PC is nonsense. It's not that simple.
What? It's not nonsense. If you're on PC and you're comfortable with PC, why would you buy anything that you can get on PC, on ps5?
There are absolutely no upsides.
People who play on PC usually want everything on Steam, even switching to another launcher is annoying, so having games stuck on a whole other system? That won't happen at all for most PC gamers.

Also less settings, no mods, less support for various controllers (or keyboard and mouse), higher prices for games, paid online, etc etc etc...

The only situation where it would be possible is if someone is somehow tired of PC and just want a convenient setup on a TV, completely giving up on PC.
 
Their PC isn't going anywhere, so how are they "shafted?"

The games they already bought are not going anywhere either.

They were never promised every game. Ever.
When you start releasing revered games on an entirely new platform to new fans and then all of a sudden pull the rug, you don't think those people are gonna be upset? I said nothing of promises man
 
Last edited:
I was told specifically it was in the works so I personally don't feel it was a rumor

I would have pushed (and lost it seems) a lot of chips to the center of the table it was coming to PC

Plus sounds like Sony paid the break up fee to Marvel to not bring Wolv to PC
This I understand.. yotei was probably in the works either...

What Im saying is that this new Pc strategy dosent seems like a rumor and more like a controlled leak.
 
When you start releasing revered games on an entirely new platform to new fans and then all of a sudden pull the rug, you don't think those people are gonna be upset? I said nothing of promises man
I can understand this. I think from Sony's POV though, this group of people was not as large as they hoped and they were not getting the engagement on PC they wanted to.

This I understand.. yotei was probably in the works either...

What Im saying is that this new Pc strategy dosent seems like a rumor and more like a controlled leak.
Isnt there a thread in here saying that it's been a while since Sony ported a game? I feel like a lot of people saw this coming. After all they didnt port Astro Bot which was GOTY, and before someone says well its a kiddy game they ported Sackboy (which bombed).
 
Last edited:
When you start releasing revered games on an entirely new platform to new fans and then all of a sudden pull the rug, you don't think those people are gonna be upset? I said nothing of promises man
They'll get over it. Just like they had no issue missing out of those games prior to this.

Just like they never got Demon's Souls, MLB, AstroBot or GT7
 
Not everyone can afford to spend out on multiple platforms, plus many regions consoles are relatively much more expensive
PC has no exclusives. They should buy consoles if they are on a budget. they wouldnt lose out on any exclusives this way.

I was looking at some numbers and pc gamers are still rocking 3060s and 3060 Tis. They are willing to pay $399 on these terrible PS5 quality cards. They should be able to buy a console for $500. Or even the pro for $700 now that cerny has finally fixed PSSR.

Sony spends an insane amount of money on exclusives because they want everyone to buy games on their platform. They want everyone to buy their platform, their subscriptions, and peripherals. Nvidia and AMD do not fund any game development whatsoever. Epic invested in a game once and everyone on PC rejected it to the point Remedy had to bring in a gambling CEO to get their affairs in order. The best thing Nvidia has done is invest in 1-2 path tracing games a year that run well on maybe 3-4 cards that cost upwards of $1000 on their own. Hardly pro consumer.

I can promise you if MS hadnt ported everything to PC, they would still be alive and have a console that sells 50-60 million a generation. Not great, not terrible, but they would still be a player Sony would be concerned with. With MS effecitvely bowing out of the console race, Sony has no competition and that is bad for consumers. you will see sony raise prices, take shortcuts, lay off even more devs to cut costs which would then result in shittier games. So yeah, MS inadverntantly ended up creating a anti-consumer situtation by leaving the console business model.
 
What? It's not nonsense. If you're on PC and you're comfortable with PC, why would you buy anything that you can get on PC, on ps5?
There are absolutely no upsides.
People who play on PC usually want everything on Steam, even switching to another launcher is annoying, so having games stuck on a whole other system? That won't happen at all for most PC gamers.

Also less settings, no mods, less support for various controllers (or keyboard and mouse), higher prices for games, paid online, etc etc etc...

The only situation where it would be possible is if someone is somehow tired of PC and just want a convenient setup on a TV, completely giving up on PC.

Maybe it's on sale cheaper than anywhere on PC at the time? Maybe you bought a game that's got a dogshit pc port? Maybe you're just buying a game on a whim one time on the couch? Doesn't matter what the reasons are. You're not the arbiter of what millions of people do. That is 100% nonsense
 
Last edited:
Exclusives are a mechanism to expose someone to the ecosystem and keep them within that ecosystem. Saying absolutely no one is going to buy anything other than exclusives just because they have a PC is nonsense. It's not that simple.
Can confirm, durning ps4 gen i had gaming pc whole time(from end of 2017 highend at that) and that didnt stop me from buying many 3rd party games on ps4, obviously majority were exclusives/timed exclusives but at least few 3rd party games per year were on ps4 too.
 
I can understand this. I think from Sony's POV though, this group of people was not as large as they hoped and they were not getting the engagement on PC they wanted to.
That's exactly it, but I'd argue they were hoist by their own petard charging full price for years old PS4 games.

They'll get over it. Just like they had no issue missing out of those games prior to this.

Just like they never got Demon's Souls, MLB, AstroBot or GT7
People get over piles too, it still blows.

PC has no exclusives. They should buy consoles if they are on a budget. they wouldnt lose out on any exclusives this way.

I was looking at some numbers and pc gamers are still rocking 3060s and 3060 Tis. They are willing to pay $399 on these terrible PS5 quality cards. They should be able to buy a console for $500. Or even the pro for $700 now that cerny has finally fixed PSSR.

Sony spends an insane amount of money on exclusives because they want everyone to buy games on their platform. They want everyone to buy their platform, their subscriptions, and peripherals. Nvidia and AMD do not fund any game development whatsoever. Epic invested in a game once and everyone on PC rejected it to the point Remedy had to bring in a gambling CEO to get their affairs in order. The best thing Nvidia has done is invest in 1-2 path tracing games a year that run well on maybe 3-4 cards that cost upwards of $1000 on their own. Hardly pro consumer.

I can promise you if MS hadnt ported everything to PC, they would still be alive and have a console that sells 50-60 million a generation. Not great, not terrible, but they would still be a player Sony would be concerned with. With MS effecitvely bowing out of the console race, Sony has no competition and that is bad for consumers. you will see sony raise prices, take shortcuts, lay off even more devs to cut costs which would then result in shittier games. So yeah, MS inadverntantly ended up creating a anti-consumer situtation by leaving the console business model.

PC has about a million X the exclusives consoles do lmao. Many of them are garbage indie slop but that's just an absolutely ridiculous statement.

Nah I don't believe they'd be alive and well. They stopped making good games, that is the be all and end all of a consoles demise.
 
Last edited:
This was a calculated move to kill the sales of the eventual Steam Machine while ensuring the sales of the PS6. .....if Sony actually starts funding and developing single player experiences again.
 
Top Bottom