The video game industry is going through a tight squeeze that seems to impact everyone—PlayStation and PS5 included. Indeed, recent developments make it very clear that things are changing at PlayStation, and this is likely going to impact everyone who has ever supported the platform.
PlayStation is not the only company feeling the changing times. Xbox has completely shuffled its leadership following Phil Spencer’s retirement, with a new CEO in Asha Sharma and Matt Booty being named Chief Content Officer. Ubisoft has changed up its leadership team for Assassin’s Creed—an IP that has defined the company, one that Ubisoft is betting big on for future games. Developers are struggling to find and maintain jobs. The industry is changing, and already the cracks are showing for PlayStation.
PlayStation Unceremoniously Shuts Down Bluepoint
Last month, PlayStation announced it would be shuttering Bluepoint Games in March. That time has come, and the era of Bluepoint is over. Everyone was shocked by this announcement, and it shows that the new era is off to a rocky start. Bluepoint has always been known for excellent remasters and remakes, including Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Shadow of the Colossus, and Demon’s Souls—a PS5 launch title. Bluepoint played a role in the start (and some big wins) of the PS5 era, but it couldn’t last through to the end, unfortunately.
After launching Demon’s Souls, Bluepoint Games assisted Santa Monica Studio with the release of God of War Ragnarok—a flagship PS5 title. Bluepoint Games would begin work on a live-service God of War game for PlayStation, likely in part due to the latter’s push for more live-service games. That initiative has not yielded the results the company wanted, very clearly. When Bluepoint’s live-service God of War game was canceled, the company worked with PlayStation to pitch new projects, including the highly demanded remake of Bloodborne. Reports indicate that FromSoftware was not impressed with Demon’s Souls, and the company is the reason that a remake of Bloodborne was not allowed. Nothing came to fruition, ultimately contributing to and resulting in the studio shuttering this month.
Bluepoint made great games, and the industry is worse off without its expertise. Some called for Xbox to save Bluepoint, but given the leadership shuffle happened in a similar timeframe, it’s not clear if that was even a possibility.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
PlayStation is Shutting Down PC Support
During the PS5 era, PlayStation has brought several games to PC. Marvel’s Spider-Man, God of War 2018 and Ragnarok, Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, The Last of Us Part 1, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, and Days Gone are a handful of examples. Now, depending on who you ask, PlayStation’s PC support is either a good thing for gamers or a bad thing for gamers. However, insiders have recently been talking about PlayStation ending PC support, meaning fans will need a PS5 for games like Marvel’s Wolverine.
A new Bloomberg report has shed more light on the situation, citing sources familiar with Sony’s plans. In short, PlayStation no longer plans to release any PS5 games on PC after spending the past six years just like that. Online games like Marathon and Marvel Tokon will remain multiplatform releases, but games like Ghost of Yotei, Saros, and Wolverine will never come to PC.
Bloomberg’s sources said things could change in the future, but that in recent weeks, PlayStation has scrapped plans to bring Ghost of Yotei to PC. Outlined are a few possible reasons for this shift, a la Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier:
- PlayStation games have not sold well on PC.
- PlayStation games make more money when sold on the PS5 console.
- Bringing PlayStation games to PC may hurt the brand.
- PC Players did not like being asked to make PlayStation Network accounts to access these games.
- Rumors suggest that Microsoft’s next Xbox will use Windows and be capable of playing PC games. PlayStation execs may not be happy about the idea of God of War or Marvel’s Spider-Man running on the next Xbox console, as an example.
The PS5 Era is Changing
It’s hard to say what future changes to Sony’s plans for the industry will be. Six years of PC port strategy and five years of Sony’s ownership of Bluepoint Games have ended unceremoniously, and unfortunately, more changes will likely take place as the industry settles into a new reality.
