For several years, Sony has significantly evolved its strategy in terms of exclusives. Long confined to a closed ecosystem centered on its consoles, the Japanese manufacturer has gradually opened the door to the PC, in particular to make its large productions profitable and reach a new audience. Major titles like God of War (2018), Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone or even Marvel’s Spider‑Man have thus landed on Steam several months, or even two years at most, after their release on PlayStation, often with great commercial success.
At the time, Sony was clearly aiming for an expansion strategy. It was about selling more games without cannibalizing console sales, since the ports arrived late. But today this policy could evolve in the other direction, reflecting a strategic backpedaling for the brand.
Finally, no more PC for Wolverine?
According to information relayed by journalist Jason Schreier, PlayStation is considering reducing or even stopping the release of its narrative single-player games on PC. The idea would be to reserve these blockbusters for the console, while continuing to bring the multiplayer and service titles to the computer.
This repositioning would be major. Until now, Sony had used the PC as an indirect marketing lever. Indeed, publishing a game several years after its console release made it possible to monetize a second time an already amortized title, while attracting new players to the PlayStation for the sequels. The example of God of War is speaking. The PC port of the 2018 game preceded the release of its sequel on PS5, creating new excitement around the license.
But then, why go back? Several hypotheses circulate on this subject. First, PC sales may not have reached internal expectations, despite visible successes. Then, Sony is probably observing Microsoft’s competing strategy, which is increasing simultaneous releases on Xbox and PC, diluting the interest in dedicated hardware. However, PlayStation remains above all a console manufacturer, so preserving the exclusivity of its big games is a key argument for selling PS5s, and later PS6s.
No more solo adventures
This orientation would also be part of a different logic depending on the types of games. Multiplayer productions benefit from a large player base, therefore from a multiplatform launch. Conversely, the great single-player adventures serve more to promote the console itself.
An emblematic case could be Marvel’s Wolverineexpected as one of the future heavyweights of the PlayStation catalog. Jason Schreier believes it wouldn’t be surprising if it remained console-exclusive for a very long time, if not indefinitely. For PC gamers, this prospect is obviously disappointing. For Sony, on the other hand, it could mark a return to a more traditional strategy while Xbox also seems to want to put its consoles and its exclusives back in the spotlight since the appointment of Asha Sharma at the head of the division.
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