PlayStation is changing its marketing and advertising language to reflect its internal decision to stop producing PC/Steam ports of its PS5 games, quietly confirming reports from earlier this year that PlayStation PC ports were discontinued. Not only did most PlayStation games not perform particularly well on PC, but it is also believed that this actively harmed the branding and release of PS5 games (with some fans choosing to “wait” and/or downplaying the importance of PS5 hardware).
As such, fans can expect all future PS5 exclusive games to truly be exclusive to PS5 hardware. That includes, but is not limited to, games like Marvel’s Wolverine, Saros, God of War Laufey, Astro Bot, and Ghost of Yotei, as well as any future, unannounced, and/or unreleased games. While PlayStation does not appear to be forthright with this comment, its silence on the matter can be taken as a comment in and of itself, especially in its framing of the most recent advert.
No More Single-Player PC Ports of PS5 Games
A recent advert released by PlayStation featured all the games mentioned above, with one key exception: there’s new “Only on PS5” language associated with each major single-player and unported game. As pointed out by ResetEra user RedKong, this is a new approach to emphasize PS5 games as PS5 games on PS5 hardware. Marketing is highly influential and intentional, so it’s unlikely that PlayStation changed the language for the heck of it, and it can only mean that PlayStation PC ports are truly dead in the water.
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None of these games previously used “Only on PS5” in their marketing, quietly commenting on and corroborating reports that PlayStation was moving away from PC. This is not the first time the company has done so either, with Sony not mentioning any planned PC ports during an annual business report (as reported by VGC). Of course, PlayStation has not come out and explicitly stated it was ending these prior plans, but actions speak louder than words, and PlayStation’s language change and overall silence quietly affirm the reporting.
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Sony Interactive Entertainment -
Image via Housemarque
It’s worth noting that it is only true first-party PlayStation games receiving this “Only on PS5” language as well. Games like Phantom Blade Zero were advertised as PS5 exclusives because they are third-party and launch on PC day one with timed console exclusivity. Unfortunately, silence does give way to ambiguity because it is uncertain what PlayStation games will come to PC in the future. It is not believed, nor reported, that this is an all-time ban on PS5–> PC games, but instead a needed emphasis on the quality of PS5 hardware.
It is currently believed that PlayStation-published multiplayer games may be multiplatform, as such games often need strong player bases, but that fans cannot expect single-player PlayStation games to hit Steam sometime after their release. Ultimately, it all remains to be seen because, a year from now, PlayStation may decide to reverse course. At the same time, it is believed that the PS6 is actively in the works and fans may see it in a year or so from now, so the future of PlayStation and exclusivity officially remains ambiguous now—even as the company quietly moves toward a future it knows.