Support NeoGAF

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Finally two serious at the head of PS. Even if it's all thanks to Nishino.

I also think its due to Japan having more control over Playstation that we are seeing this happening.
All they need to do now is remove Herman from his job and have someone from Japan dealing with their internal studios as well. Hire someone from Capcom...they seem to have it together lol.

 

[bender]

It seems PC gamers are just less excited about SONY games, maybe because they are overly cinematic, or maybe PC gamers are all anti-DEI edge lords, who knows.

No marketing push, no hype from the preview/review cycle leading up to a new release, no FOMO on the gaming conversation of the day. You mofos are having me defend marketing twice in one thread.

 

[MisterXDTV]

I am fully aware of that. And yet to my knowledge that it is still unquestionably the best way we have (by far) to evaluate such things. The alternative would be Metacritic for both critic and user? That would be even worse for this argument.
Most Microsoft games received perfect ports, were free of all surrounding nonsense, and were released at the same time as console version. Why some scored substantially lower than any of these?

For the record, on a fundamental level I do NOT believe current games produced by Sony are the "pinnacle of gaming" at all. Last Sony exclusive I bought is Astro Bot, and before that it has been literal years without a purchase after the Ragnarok disappointment.
I don't think there's a single studio anymore within Sony able to produce something on the level of Witcher 3 in terms of writing, or as mature and honest as a Vávra game.
And have zero interest in Naughty Dog future, the only company that I regarded on a similar level as Rockstar, despite the fact the OG The Last of Us is in my top 3 of all time and I recognize a shameful amount of stuff in The Last of Us Part II hasn't even been matched after 6 years.

I'll say though, this Thread has made me considering giving Yōtei a chance.

To prove your point,

Despite the supposed "weak ports" everytime I see a PC benchmark video on Youtube, Sony games are always there....

I don't know about "pinnacle" but seems to me like those game are still benchmark a decade after their PS4 original release

The Last of Us 1 is actually a PS3 game....

 

[CentralScrutinizer]

This is the best outcome. I'm surprised Sony took the bait and followed Xbox down this delusional path in the first place.

 

[MisterXDTV]

PC sales will always be gimped as those SP games come to PC anywhere from 1-4 years later. So the excitement is long gone. If PC got day one sales, they'd be much more.

And PS sales would be much less......

Guess what Sony really cares about???

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

This is the best outcome. I'm surprised Sony took the bait and followed Xbox down this delusional path in the first place.

They wanted the data to be sure about it

 

[GHG]

Absolute idiots at the helm lmaoooo

 

[FalconPunch]

What forum is that?

IconEra

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Holy shit...even Wolverine that wasn't mentioned in the article isn't going to PC lmao. That was one that i had doubts since it wasn't mentioned in the original article but Schreier's only post on that topic was to put that possibility to rest as well:

The only good thing about this news to me is that the annoying posts will stop about how "PS5 has no games" simply because they were being released on PC.

Having a Wolverine game in September and a GTA game in November Sony will probably be peaking with the PS5 around those 4 months lol (depending on promos for the hardware of course)

 

[yurinka]

These decisions don't come lightly, they assess the data and project future sales.

They have almost all the metrics at all time record numbers (including the 2 key ones here: off-PS first party revenue, console MAU, plus the two main general ons revenue and profit), in a several years long growth pattern, that's why I'm skeptical against any big strategical change and I think what it's really happening is something smaller and simpler.

Like maybe Nixxes being to busy during a couple years with more prioritary projects (some of the games that release day one on PC, maybe GoW Trilogy Remake too) and leaving the Yotei and Saros ports for later.

The distance between original PS release and PC port for SP games ranged from day one or a few months to 10 years in case of TLOU1, with some having 4 years of difference, most around 2 years and some having around 1 or 3. So releasing the PC ports of Yotei, Saros and let's say Intergalactic in 2028 or 2029 wouldn't really change their plans.

Particularly if they keep a big output of PC releases with mainly GaaS plus externally developed SP games or internally developed but with external IP games.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

And PS sales would be much less......

Guess what Sony really cares about???

If PS sales are so important why are GAAS games day one multiplat?

Just keep it on PS, have gamers gravitate to buying a PS copy and keep 100% of mtx cuts.

 

[MisterXDTV]

Having a Wolverine game in September and a GTA game in November Sony will probably be peaking with the PS5 around those 4 months lol (depending on promos for the hardware of course)

The second half of the year is gonna be insane for Playstation.

GTA VI is basically exclusive with marketing rights

The PSSR upgrade will give a huge boost to PS5 Pro sales as well

 

[Snowdonhoffen]

I don't know how reliable this data is, it's Gemini generated, but it may be approximately correct?

It seems PC gamers are just less excited about SONY games, maybe because they are overly cinematic, or maybe PC gamers are all anti-DEI edge lords, who knows.
Personally I ignored Sony stuff for a while because of how much walking/talking bits there are, a lot of their games just started feeling likely samey slogs and the "movie-game" fascination may have just worn off on people.

As I mentioned before, more likely than not, PC gamers who are really interested in PS games probably already own a PS5/PS4 so there's no need for them to buy them again on PC

 

[MisterXDTV]

If PS sales are so important why are GAAS games day one multiplat?

Just keep it on PS, have gamers gravitate to buying a PS copy and keep 100% of mtx cuts.

You are desperate at this point

 

[StreetsofBeige]

You are desperate at this point

Thanks for not having an answer.

 

[MisterXDTV]

Thanks for not having an answer.

I already gave an answer to that in a previous post

GaaS games need the biggest number of active players to stay alive, it's the nature of the product

Single player games don't, you play fucking ALONE

It's not that hard to understand

They are releasing Marathon on PS4 and Xbox One, guess why???

 

[bitbydeath]

They have almost all the metrics at all time record numbers (including the 2 key ones here: off-PS first party revenue, console MAU, plus the two main general ons revenue and profit), in a several years long growth pattern, that's why I'm skeptical against any big strategical change and I think what it's really happening is something smaller and simpler.

Like maybe Nixxes being to busy during a couple years with more prioritary projects (some of the games that release day one on PC, maybe GoW Trilogy Remake too) and leaving the Yotei and Saros ports for later.

The distance between original PS release and PC port for SP games ranged from day one or a few months to 10 years in case of TLOU1, with some having 4 years of difference, most around 2 years and some having around 1 or 3. So releasing the PC ports of Yotei, Saros and let's say Intergalactic in 2028 or 2029 wouldn't really change their plans.

Particularly if they keep a big output of PC releases with mainly GaaS plus externally developed SP games or internally developed but with external IP games.

The biggest reason is likely due to leadership change. It was soon after that they removed mention of PC ports from their financials, and likely began an investigation on what to do.

Most of the money made on PC was from GaaS, and there's no signs of that changing.

I do however predict they will pull their own studios away from GaaS moving forward and work with second parties (like Arrowhead) to produce them, as it provides less risk for Sony's own studios.

Sony's DNA has always been storytelling, that's what they're beloved for and everyone knows it, even Sony.

 

[Kacho]

The only good thing about this news to me is that the annoying posts will stop about how "PS5 has no games"

That likely won't stop with their current output. There are people in this thread saying "good but what games?"

 

[Viruz]

Finally it's back!

 

[tomato shrub]

This has to be a long term troll. Feeding PC players with sad dad slop for 5 years, only to pull Bloodborne away from them last minute.

I kinda respect it.

 

[roosnam1980]

Finally it's back!

PCMR.................

 

[Starbuck2907]

Temporary move. Due to the expense of making and marketing AAA games as well as people's movement away from expensive hardware and the growth of cloud gaming, the sales model they have relied on for years to drive hardware sales is slowly drying up.

Example prediction for where exclusivity could be going for PlayStation: In a few years, the BloodBourne remaster will launch on their streaming service, which will be hardware agnostic or at least pc compatible. It's the future.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Your loss Sony. I will not buy a PS5. Days Gone on PC is the best version by far.

The physical version sitting on the shelf is always the better version.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

That likely won't stop with their current output. There are people in this thread saying "good but what games?"

People were saying that when the PS5 was promoting indies: "it only plays indies" etc...and now people say that gen was a blast lol.
Remember when Sony announced Spider-Man and there was an entire controversy over puddles of water and how the game was downgraded? People are always bitching about games.

Would people be saying "PS5 has no games" if Ragnarok, TLOU2, Forboddn West, Returnal, Ratchet, Spider-Man 2, etc had remained on PS consoles alone? I don't think so.

People say "what games?" because almost everything is on PC or unannounced at this point. All Sony needs to di is show gameplay segments of Wolverine, Intergalactic and the next Sony Santa Monica project and all is forgiven. Add to this GTAVI's first gameplay video on PS5 Pro with PSSR2 at 60fps and this won't even be a discussion anymore.

What's better is that all these games are releasing either this or next year. One way or another, PS consoles will be eating good.

 

[GHG]

Well I have to say this thread has made for interesting reading.

Why are the same people that were excited about the "hear you" regarding the return of Xbox exclusive games now upset about the prospect of Sony making their 1st party games 100% exclusive to their console again?

Fess be honest.

 

[mayham2199]

I'm slowly making my way through City myself atm. I think the problem is that Asylum was super focused, and City is super unfocused. City has new characters showing up to derail the story like every 15 minutes. It's too much. The city itself has the same problem. It's cool but there's too much of it and overall it's not as well designed as the smaller asylum. I'm gonna perservere though.

Yes, I loved the focus in Asylum it was just a great story to with Batman being trapped there. That game was so damn good at the time when it released. Nothing like it.

 

[Deficit]

If Xbox cancels the FH6 PS5 port. I'll bet you guys will all say, "smart move by Xbox, they need to prioritize their console. They are dying".....right?

 

[FIREKNIGHT2029]

 

[kaizenkko]

Demon's Souls Remake
Astro Bot
Ghost of Yotei
Sons of Sparta
Saros
Wolverine

This is the list of PS5 true exclusive games by the end of this year. I hope Sony works hard to expand this. Hopefully by the end of 2027 we will have at least two more games.

 

[Moondoggy]

I love how some of the Playstation fans on here will cheer for gating off games from other platforms, but then be full to bursting with seething entitlement that Resident Evil Requiem on the Playstation 5pro doesn't have the Path Tracing option that PC does.

 

[Deficit]

I love how some of the Playstation fans on here will cheer for gating off games from other platforms, but then be full to bursting with seething entitlement that Resident Evil Requiem on the Playstation 5pro doesn't have the Path Tracing option that PC does.

Imagine their reaction if Microsoft stopped porting games to PS5. I'm sure they'd all be in total agreement, that it was the smart and right thing to do. Totally.

 

[bitbydeath]

Imagine their reaction if Microsoft stopped porting games to PS5. I'm sure they'd all be in total agreement, that it was the smart and right thing to do. Totally.

It would be. They should also have cut PC out and stopped day one gamepass games, but that ship has sailed into an iceberg for them.

 

[OverHeat]

Finally it's back!

Viruz when he saw this news

 

[Topher]

I love how some of the Playstation fans on here will cheer for gating off games from other platforms, but then be full to bursting with seething entitlement that Resident Evil Requiem on the Playstation 5pro doesn't have the Path Tracing option that PC does.

Gating off games from other platforms is something "fans on here" have been in favor of doing all gen long. You really going to try and rewrite this gen as if PlayStation fans are the only ones who have or do? And what does in-game features have to do with anything? I was pissed when Starfield didn't have DLSS on PC. So what?

 

[Durin]

Looks like it's over, but can't say I'll miss too much unless Sony's output improves by doing less live-service, and more of their single-player stuff sticking with Ghost of Yotei level budgets.

Wish we got Astrobot, Bloodborne and Infamous ports before this ended though. Gonna have to wait for emulation/recomps to do them over time instead.

The only real bummer is this will give millenial-to-boomer aged fanboys some idea their war still matters.

 

[Midn1ght]

Makes sense, I guess. To really move the needle on PC, you need quality ports and most importantly to release day one, which has been proven time and time again (RE Requiem is a great recent example). That's a bridge Sony wasn't ready to cross, I suppose. Gonna be weird not having Yotei, especially after how well Tsushima did on PC, plus whatever sequels they've got cooking for Spider-Man, God of War, and Horizon. I like Sony's first-party stuff, but honestly I'm kinda tired of the same franchises getting rehashed over and over with barely anything new to be excited for.

 

[Shane89]

Sony returning to mental sanity? thanks god

What's next? Drop GaaS in favor of single player games?

 

[Moondoggy]

Gating off games from other platforms is something "fans on here" have been doing all gen long. You really going to try and rewrite this gen as if PlayStation fans are the only ones who have or do? And what does in-game features have to do with anything? I was pissed when Starfield didn't have DLSS on PC. So what?

A feature that the hardware doesn't support isn't the same thing as an entire game being made unavailable, Cheering for the more significant one while being upset by the other makes people looks like clowns regardless of what platform they're on, and yes, the fans in the Playstation focused thread are the only ones doing it.

 

[Dr Bass]

I love how some of the Playstation fans on here will cheer for gating off games from other platforms, but then be full to bursting with seething entitlement that Resident Evil Requiem on the Playstation 5pro doesn't have the Path Tracing option that PC does.

I haven't seen anyone at all "seething" over anything RE9 related, except maybe some people not happy the Switch 2 version is pretty decent. But not Playstation fans.

Also yes, if you are a fan of a platform, you should want that platform to be healthy with exclusive software. I want Sony games to stay exclusive to Playstation. I want Nintendo games to stay on Switch. I don't care what happens with all of Microsoft's garbage because all they produce are turds, but you know, sure keep them exclusive if they want. I mean this is a company that can't even buy a win for 100 billion dollars. But I digress.

 

[jm89]

What's next? Drop GaaS in favor of single player games?

Probably already happening after the number of Ls they've taken on gaas cancellations.

 

[bender]

Gating off games from other platforms is something "fans on here" have been doing all gen long. You really going to try and rewrite this gen as if PlayStation fans are the only ones who have or do? And what does in-game features have to do with anything? I was pissed when Starfield didn't have DLSS on PC. So what?

Seems like most people are just joking ( Ass of Can Whooping ) or discussing the strategy behind the business decision.

Sony returning to mental sanity? thanks god

What's next? Drop GaaS in favor of single player games?

 

[Topher]

A feature that the hardware doesn't support isn't the same thing as an entire game being made unavailable, Cheering for the more significant one while being upset by the other makes people looks like clowns regardless of what platform they're on, and yes, the fans in the Playstation focused thread are the only ones doing it.

Not the same thing. Yes, I know. So why make absurd comparisons? PlayStation fans are happy about exclusives again. Xbox fans would be too. Nintendo fans never stopped. Really have no idea what point you are trying to make here.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I also think its due to Japan having more control over Playstation that we are seeing this happening.
All they need to do now is remove Herman from his job and have someone from Japan dealing with their internal studios as well. Hire someone from Capcom...they seem to have it together lol.

Capcom loves the PC though.

 

[Viruz]

Viruz when he saw this news

This is true, I feel so energized.

 

[demigod]

I think the last time I bought a Sony game was in 2022. Since then, I've played Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Spider-Man 2, Death Stranding, The Last of Us Part II, and a few others without paying a single cent, thanks to their initiative of releasing games on PC.


If their games stop coming to PC, then at some point I'll probably just buy a console (used), play whatever exclusives there are, and sell everything afterward. Simple as that. But only when it's cheap — probably when the PS7 comes out.

Are you implying you pirated those games?

Another pirate ousting himself, oof.

 

[laynelane]

The thing is...Playstation is a hit in like 70 countries. If Xbox stops releasing their games on Playstation makes no sense because:

- They already optimize their stuff to PC...Xbox games will never be console exclusive again because Microsoft wants those games on PC as well...you know, the Windows maker. - Working on Playstation optimization is just like 2 pieces of hardware added to the work they do to PC. Same architecture.
- Xbox was only relevant in 2 countries: USA and UK. If they go back to not releasing games on Playstation they would be removing their franchises from like over 60 countries that don't care for their platform and never will. Weren't there rumors that Forza Horizon 5 had sold around 5M on PS consoles alone? If Sony was doing numbers like this on PC even they wouldn't give up on this.
- Xbox even after the new CEO keeps talking about "playing anywhere you want" so i doubt they will stop releasing on Playstation.
- Playstation never released anything on Xbox except for Helldivers 2 so it's not like they are backing out of Xbox anyway.

Considering how many first-party games MS has released on PS, and with no signs of it slowing down, it stands to reason that their business relationship is and has changed. Not so adversarial or competitive as in the past - all due to MS simply wanting to make more money on their software - not to mention a focus on the software side of their gaming division which is reasonable given the amount they spent on acquisitions. So, yeah, it doesn't make sense that they would stop releasing their games on PS for the reasons you stated and it's also why the theory that the Magnus has anything to do with Sony stopping PC ports doesn't seem plausible either.

 

[Hohenheim]

That's too bad.
Was looking forward to experiencing Saros in high fps and in all it's visuals glory at some point.
Returnal on PC was such a great upgrade from the PS5 version, and these fast paced games really deserves the best possible performance.

 

[Moondoggy]

Not the same thing. Yes, I know. So why make absurd comparisons? PlayStation fans are happy about exclusives again. Xbox fans would be too. Nintendo fans never stopped. Really have no idea what point you are trying to make here.

You're right it is absurd to be ok with one and not the other, I'm not gonna sit here and argue with you on why more people buying and playing games is a good thing, you're clearly a plastic box tribalist, otherwise cheering for this makes no sense, it doesn't lead to more sales, it doesn't lead to better games, it just leads to less people playing something.

 

[DeepEnigma]

This has to be a long term troll. Feeding PC players with sad dad slop for 5 years, only to pull Bloodborne away from them last minute.

I kinda respect it.

 

[Wolzard]

+PC releases launched $10 less expensive than their PS5 launch prices which is also a nice middle finger to their console base.

I think your bolded was poorly thought out on Sony part but also overblown by the PC audience and used as an alternative excuse to "we don't want additional accounts" (a fair stance mind you). And if I had to guess, the blowback from PSN/Helldivers 2 is probably a reason they are pulling back from this initiative. If they can't get PC users to use PSN features on a massively popular online game, them to do so on single player games and there is value to Sony in those accounts being used.

Sony giving any excuse to skip their platform in the first place was extremely short sided. We are probably talking about way less than 10% of their population that would make the choice, but digital libraries are what will decide what platforms a user invests in (one thing Phil Spencer said that is 100% on point). So even if your bleed is small because of offering titles on other platforms, with the nature of backwards compatibility and digital libraries, there will no longer be reset points on hardware so earning those users back once they've gone somewhere else is almost entirely unlikely. And with how social games are, once someone has migrated outside of your ecosystem, those migrated users will try to drag their friend groups with them.

Even when it came to acquiring users for the PSN, they failed miserably. Nobody has problems with accounts, since many games have them nowadays. But the idiotic fact that the PSN only works in certain countries has limited players from even being able to create an account. Sony is run by idiots.

Stellar Blade PC release blocked on Steam in over 120 countries, surprising even its developer

Stellar Blade will release on PC on 11th June, but its availability on Steam has been blocked in over 120 countries, su…

www.eurogamer.net

The Last Of Us Part II will require a PSN account to play on PC, making it unplayable in over 100 countries

You'll need to link to a PlayStation Network account to play The Last Of Us Part II on PC, say Sony, reviving an annoyance that excludes 100+ countries.

www.rockpapershotgun.com

Regarding prices, here's a table for us to analyze:

Game	PC (Steam)	PS4 (full)	PS5 (full)	PS5 Promo at PC Launch	Delay (Console to PC)
Days Gone	$39.99	$39.99	$49.99 (Remastered)	$29.99	2 years 1 month
God of War (2018)	$49.99	$49.99	$49.99 (via PS4)	$39.99	3 years 9 months
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Ed.	$49.99	$49.99	$49.99 (Remastered)	$39.99	3 years 5 months
Horizon Forbidden West: Comp. Ed.	$59.99	$49.99	$49.99	$39.99	2 years 1 month
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered	$59.99	-	$49.99	$49.99	3 years 11 months
The Last of Us Part I	$59.99	-	$69.99	$49.99	7 months
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut	$59.99	$69.99	$69.99	$49.99	3 years 10 months
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart	$59.99	-	$69.99	$49.99	2 years 1 month
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales	$49.99	$49.99	$49.99	$39.99	2 years
Marvel's Spider-Man 2	$59.99	-	$69.99	$49.99	1 year 3 months
Sackboy: A Big Adventure	$59.99	$59.99	$59.99	$49.99	1 year 11 months
LEGO Horizon Adventures	$39.99	-	$39.99	-	Simultaneous
God of War Ragnarök	$59.99	-	$69.99	$49.99	1 year 10 months
The Last of Us Part II Remastered	$49.99	-	$49.99	$39.99	1 year 2 months
Helldivers 2	$39.99	-	$39.99	-	Simultaneous
Stellar Blade	$59.99	-	$69.99	$49.99	1 year 2 months
Until Dawn (Remake)	$59.99	-	$59.99	-	Simultaneous
Returnal	$59.99	-	$69.99	$49.99	1 year 10 months
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection	$49.99	$49.99	$49.99	$39.99	9 months
Helldivers: Dive Harder Edition	$19.99	$19.99	$19.99 (via PS4)	N/A	4 days
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture	$19.99	$19.99	$19.99 (via PS4)	N/A	8 months
Lost Soul Aside	$59.99	-	$59.99	-	Simultaneous

Overall, PC games seem more expensive, partly because due to the release delay between console and PC, the console version had already received good discounts.

The PC audience has basically rejected these massive console exclusives. Spiderman 2 sales were absolutely insane. 11 million in a few weeks iirc.

I don't know where they got those numbers from. Steam doesn't publish that kind of data. It used to be possible to get an idea with Steam Spy, but Steam has limited its API.
Even if those were the numbers, it would still be high for a game that was completely broken at launch and remained so for months. Even Digital Foundry didn't analyze the game because it was so broken.
Furthermore, considering the cost of the port, it would still be extremely profitable. They don't need millions of units sold like with the PS5 to recoup the cost.