It looks like the brief love affair between Sony PlayStation and the PC might be coming to an end.
According to the well-known video game journalist, Jason Schreier, Sony is allegedly planning to stop porting its major single-player titles to PC, signalling a return to the “only on PlayStation” era we thought was behind us.
After half a decade of seeing icons like Nathan Drake, Spider-Man and Kratos finally grace our monitors, this shift marks a significant U-turn for the company’s global strategy.
The new rules seem fairly straightforward: if it’s an online multiplayer game like Marathon or Marvel Tokon, it will likely still show up on PC. But if you are itching for those cinematic, narrative-driven experiences, you will probably need a console.
High-profile titles like Ghost of Yotei and the action-heavy Saros are reportedly staying exclusive to the PS5.
There is a tiny silver lining for those not ready to buy a console just yet, as the PC ports for Death Stranding 2 and Kena: Scars of Kosmora are still arriving to PC later this year.
This pivot isn’t just a random whim; it seems to be driven by a mix of underwhelming sales and internal politics according to Schreier. Apparently, several recent PC ports did not perform as well as Sony had hoped. On top of that, there is a growing concern within the organisation that making these games too accessible is hurting the PS5 brand. Some executives are worried that if you can play everything on a PC, there is simply no incentive for fans to invest in PlayStation hardware.
The report added that the looming shadow of the next Xbox might also be playing a part in this decision. With rumours circulating that Microsoft’s next machine could be a Windows-based hybrid capable of playing PC titles, Sony is getting protective. The thought of a flagship titles running on a competitor’s console is likely a nightmare scenario for PlayStation leadership. By pulling back from the PC market now, they are making sure their biggest hits stay firmly under their own roof.