For the past few years, major first-party exclusives for both the Xbox and PlayStation consoles have been expected to arrive on PC after a certain period of time–if not same-day. However, with brands now looking to differentiate themselves in the current hardware market, the winds seem to be shifting. Reporting from various sources in the last few months has indicated that Sony intends to step away from bringing some of their high-profile exclusives to PC. This approach has now apparently been confirmed by Head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst himself.
According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier–who previously broke some initial reporting about the change in strategy–Hulst revealed in a staff meeting today that “the company’s narrative single-player games will now be PlayStation exclusive.” This means that the likes of Saros, Ghost of Yotei, and the upcoming Wolverine are unlikely to come to PC in the near future, though multiplayer-centric titles like the megahit Helldivers II and the recent Marathon are still likely to see cross-platform play.
While this is a disappointment to PC gamers, the business logic behind it is sound. With the overall gaming hardware market becoming more cutthroat–and more expensive–it makes sense for Sony to attempt to differentiate themselves from the competition through the tried-and-true method of big-budget, critically acclaimed exclusives. We’ll have to wait and see if the strategy pays off in console and game sales.
