In early October, I snagged a code for Horizon: Zero Dawn for PC on CDKeys, eagerly awaiting the remaster set to launch later that month. Just as Sony was pulling the original game from Steam, I quickly bought it — I mean, with the key market about to dry up, how could I pass up the opportunity? The cost was roughly $12, and for another ten bucks, getting the remaster seemed like a solid deal.
And boy, was I right! The experience was absolutely fantastic. Sure, some of its mechanics felt a bit dated, but running wild in the digital wilderness and knocking off robot parts felt like I was channeling a tribal Max Payne — and it was a blast! Oddly enough, I found myself wishing the sequel had trophies on Steam. I know it’s a bit of a quirky complaint, but those shiny achievements have their allure.
Though I usually prefer gaming on my Windows PC or within the Xbox world, it doesn’t mean I’m against Sony. In fact, Uncharted 4 lands right at the top, just behind Red Dead Redemption, on my list of all-time favorite games. It’s another title that’s been on PC for some time, which brings me to a point of contention.
For years, PlayStation seemed hesitant, like a child in trouble being dragged home, over releasing their games on PC. These moves often lack fanfare and can take ages to materialize. This year, the tide might be shifting a little. Take Helldivers 2, for example — it launched concurrently on PlayStation 5 and PC. An experiment that could very well alter Sony’s course moving forward.
When Helldivers 2 dropped in February, it took the PC gaming world by storm. By March, stats showed that over 60% of its sales were on PC! For the first time, a prominent PlayStation exclusive found its largest audience outside their own hardware. This evolution had similar beginnings for Xbox and is likely to gather momentum over the next few years.
So, what’s on the horizon for PlayStation? Should there be concerns about their future in the PC space? A shareholder posed this very question at a meeting in November. Now, considering this is a Japanese to English translation, it might not be a verbatim account, but here’s the gist: “With several PS5 exclusives lined up for the latter part of the year, is this to nudge folks from PS4 to PS5? Is there a risk of users shifting more towards PCs?”
Sony addressed this, stating that they’re in the latter half of the PS5’s lifecycle with more titles appearing. They’ve noticed a good trend of users moving from PS4 to PS5, which they view optimistically. As for the risk of losing users to PC, they haven’t detected such a trend yet and don’t perceive it as a significant threat currently.
Ignoring the shareholder’s jab about Sony’s exclusive pushes, it seems Sony isn’t too rattled by PC gaming’s rise. Not yet, anyway. The chosen wording in their response reveals some insights. There’s a positive trend of PS4 users upgrading to PS5, although the PS5 trails behind the PS4 in total sales. It’s safe to assume most PS5 adopters are moving from PS4 or even from Xbox One. Sony has hinted before that kids with a Nintendo Switch often “graduate” to PlayStation. Yet, industry analysts like Newzoo and Circana note that the overall console market isn’t expanding. As production and marketing costs rise, manufacturers like Sony and Xbox search for new ways to push their high-margin software.
Meanwhile, Steam’s growth continues unabated. It recently hit a jaw-dropping 39 million concurrent players — a number it’s edging towards daily, with 40 million in sight by 2025. To give some perspective, the NFL’s record-breaking Christmas got 64 million viewers, while Steam pulls in two-thirds of that every single day. It’s a staggering statistic that console fans might want to take note of.
While the mobile gaming segment reigns supreme and is projected to grow, PC gaming steadily expands without any sign of regression. With PlayStation sales trailing behind their previous generation, what implications does this have for the future of their games? The answer might lie in the much-discussed “day and date” PC releases.
There’s ongoing debate about this shift, but the days of staggered releases seem to be numbered. While change won’t happen overnight, with each passing year, it appears more likely. Helldivers 2’s success was a wake-up call for Sony — admitting future live-service titles might launch across all platforms simultaneously. Other games might prompt Sony to reevaluate its strategy again soon.
I have a PS5, but I usually wait for games to drop on my Windows PC. They always seem to arrive eventually, so why not hold out for my preferred setup? Sure, some sensational games will drop, but what first-party PlayStation games haven’t eventually made their way to PC? Looking ahead to 2025, we know Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Tsushima’s sequel both plan to hit PC, with Death Stranding even catching an Xbox launch for extra revenue.
Sony may state that single-player titles will debut on PlayStation initially, but when will they start testing the waters with simultaneous PC releases? Should one such release become a resounding success, it might prompt Sony to overhaul their approach once more.
Reflecting on Horizon: Zero Dawn’s initial success of 56,000 peak concurrent players on Steam, it was a solid move for Sony. Yet, Uncharted and The Last of Us Part I didn’t fare as well. This hiccup can be attributed to factors like performance issues and replay potential, but there’s an undeniable difference — the release timelines.
Uncharted took years to hit PCs. By that time, the eager crowd had either already played it or lost interest. The Last of Us Part I, on the other hand, was a remastered edition of a decade-old game. PC gamers, accustomed to tweaking their experiences through mods and free updates, might be leery of paying for tweaks they typically get for free unless they’re available at a bargain like I found with Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Development and marketing costs aren’t getting any cheaper. When investing millions into promoting a game, the aim is to maximize return by launching it everywhere at once, cutting through the noise and catching the social media wave. Releasing titles on just a sliver of the industry limits exposure. Major publishers like Square Enix, who once thrived on platform exclusivity deals, are now turning them down.
PlayStation consistently outdoes its previous year’s earnings with money from other platforms. Come 2024, I bet they nearly reach — if not exceed — a billion dollars. This push for higher profits and better margins nudges towards a future where “day and date” PC launches aren’t just probable but part of the norm. Believe me, it’s closer than many think.
What’s your take? Is Sony edging closer to simultaneous PC launches? Could we see games on platforms like Nintendo Switch 2 or Xbox Series X|S? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
