Former Blizzard boss says PlayStation probably can't convert PC players using single-player exclusives alone
May. 31, 2024“If I was PlayStation I wouldn’t be afraid to [put] story-based games on Steam day one”
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Blizzard Entertainment’s former president Mike Ybarra has given his own take on PlayStation’s PC strategy.
PlayStation’s new co-CEO Hermen Hulst recently discussed the publisher’s philosophy on PC ports, explaining that live service games reliant on big communities would come to both platforms on the same day, while single-player “tentpole titles” would see a staggered release and launch exclusively on PS5. The strategy would attempt tobring PC gamers over to PS5 using exclusive sequels as bait.
Yesterday’sPlayStation State of Playshowcase reiterated that strategy with the announcement thatOverwatchy FPS Concord would come to PC and PS5in August, whileGod of War Ragnarok is migrating to PCtwo years after its console debut.
“I like the PlayStation strategy,” Ybarratweets, “they’ve picked their lane and they’re sticking to it. The message is clear: [if] you want the best story-based games as soon as [they are] released: get a PlayStation console… They know driving console sales via exclusives is key.”
Ybarra then comments onSony"trying to tie this strategy into PC players buying a PS for single-player games - which [in my honest opinion] I don’t think has much scale or volume at all, but I appreciate knowing exactly what they are doing." The Steam crowd is notoriously patient - look no further thanthe Kingdom Hearts hopeful who waited three years to buy the series' PC portsbecause the RPGs weren’t on their preferred launcher, or the FromSoftware fans who are still waiting for a Bloodborne PC port almost a decade later - so Ybarra might have a point.
“And to be clear, if I was PlayStation I wouldn’t be afraid to [put] story-based games on Steam day one,” he continued. “I don’t think that really matters. You can still own the living room and the console market while embracing the PC community.”
Check out theupcoming PS5 gamesto see if anything can attract you to the platform.
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Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
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