Is Sony Shifting to PC from Consoles?

S ony, after releasing Horizon Zero Dawn on PS4 in August of 2020, made an unexpected announcement. And Sony shifting from consoles to PC hit the news. It was a major turning point for a publisher known for its extensive range of console exclusives. "PlayStation PC LLC" was registered in April 2021, according to a listing on Corporation Wiki (as discovered by VGC).

Why Shift in the First Place?

We’ve all witnessed the major hype that is brought up anytime there’s a new PlayStation release. When the new PS5 was announced, countless people were anticipating its release, and when it did, acquiring it was the hardest task known to man since it was constantly sold out. so, if everything seemed to be going fine, why the shift in the first place? 

Reason for the Shift

Well, according to Shawn Layden, the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, the shift to PC from consoles wasn’t as difficult as one might assume. The shift represented them adopting a more open strategy. After all, no matter how big Play Station is, there is a whole major market just for PC gamers. 

Breaking Barriers

In the past, PlayStation has been inaccessible to a lot of people. There was an aura of exclusivity that they relied on for many years. 

Although the exclusivity was not a bad tactic for their branding as many gamers purchased the consoles, for this reason, it left a huge mass of audiences that have PCs, untouched. This monumental shift is something that will allow them to increase their market and tear down their walls of exclusivity for all. Sony wanted to branch out and go where the audiences are. 

As Layden said: “We need to go to where they [customers] are... Because they've decided not to come to my house, so I've got to go to their house now.”

Titles that Shifted to PC

Given the success of Horizon Zero Dawn, Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan stated earlier in 2021 that the company is considering taking more of its games to the PC platform.

Due to that, we've seen a continuous surge of PlayStation-exclusive titles being made available on Steam and Epic Games. After the PC versions of Death Stranding and Horizon Zero Dawn, Sony announced the release of additional titles in 2020. 

Guns Up, the action strategy game, was released in 2018 becoming a crowd favorite and has now shifted to PC as well. Days Gone was released this year, and the dearly beloved Uncharted series, Uncharted 4: The Lost Legacy, and, most surprisingly, God of War will be released in the future. Both Uncharted and God of War have a massive base of dedicated fans behind them. 

So this shift was a huge welcomed surprise for PC gamers who have sadly been left out of the hype. Sony also acquired Nixxes Software a few months ago, a firm that assisted in the PC porting of a couple of Crystal Dynamics titles. 

Titles That We Might See in the Future

The Last of Us (including both 1 and 2), the remaining games of the Uncharted series, and Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal,  all appear to be possibilities for the PlayStation platform in the future. Moving older games to PC has a lot more potential for PlayStation.

Taking Notes From the Competition

Microsoft has always been clear on its stance when it comes to PC gaming. It has always looked at the big picture and catered to a larger audience by supporting PC gamers and distributing its Xbox console titles to PC as well. It seems as though Sony has taken some notes and is at a turning point. They seem to be heading in the same direction as its competitor for the foreseeable future.

Sony has taken a dreadfully long time to finally move to PCs. Even though, as hesitant as it has been, they seem to be trying to make a change that will have a huge impact on the gaming market as a whole.

When it comes down to it, Sony is unafraid to be bold and make changes to succeed. Are you excited about Sony shifting to pc from consoles? Let us know!