Some PlayStation exclusive games such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Death Stranding have been released on PC, and more exclusives are set to arrive on PC in the coming year. The new trend of exclusives coming to PC has some PlayStation fans feeling cheated, since Sony’s lineup of exclusives is one of the things that sets PlayStation apart from other platforms, but it could actually prove to be a very beneficial thing for the future of gaming.
In August 2020, fans received a surprising announcement that Horizon Zero Dawn, a popular PlayStation exclusive with an upcoming 2021 sequel, was coming to PC. The initial reactions to the news were mixed; some fans felt excited that the market was opening up, while others felt that ending Horizon’s exclusivity wasn’t fair to PlayStation owners. For many gamers, the critically acclaimed library of exclusives is the main reason they chose to invest in a PlayStation console in the first place. What’s the point if the same games will eventually come to PC?
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There are a few reasons why players shouldn’t be upset about this new trend. First, the PC market doesn’t directly compete with PlayStation in the first place. Gaming consoles and PCs have different benefits which appeal to different people, and while a lot of gamers may use both, many PC gamers don’t own consoles at all. By entering that market, Sony is making sales without taking away from PlayStation, ultimately increasing revenue. There are a couple of reasons why that’s a good thing for PlayStation fans.
When asked to explain Sony’s decision to release PlayStation exclusives on PC, president and CEO Jim Ryan explained that as game quality has gone up within each console’s lifespan, the cost of development has gone up. Players have already begun to experience the effects of this; many PS5 exclusives like Demon’s Souls and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart are starting at $70, a $10 price increase from PS4 titles.
Coming to the PC market might help with that. Gaming PC sales are at an all-time high and account for almost 25% of the global gaming market. That’s almost as much as every console combined, with the other 50% belonging to mobile gaming. Horizon Zero Dawn’s PC launch in August was almost as successful as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and outsold Assassin’s Creed Odyssey by a significant margin. Sony has invested in great games that dedicated PC gamers are excited to get their hands on. This ultimately means more profit for Sony, which in turn will mean better funding for upcoming games and next-gen IPs.
Finally, PlayStation fans shouldn’t feel like their experiences with exclusives are less valid when games come to PC. PlayStation is known for its exclusives and isn’t looking to throw that away. Horizon Zero Dawn came out in 2017 and just came to PC in 2020. Days Gone was released in 2019 and won’t be arriving on PC until sometime this year. It’s unlikely that Sony will start releasing its games for PC and PlayStation simultaneously, as there will probably continue to be a gap between when exclusives are released and when they port to PC. On top of that, there’s no guarantee which exclusives will be coming to PC at all.
At the end of the day, more people enjoying amazing games is a good thing that seems to be paying off for Sony without taking away from the console market. It’s understandable why some loyal PlayStation fans might be initially turned off by Sony releasing exclusives on PC, but it may lead to better games and more new IPs that will benefit PlayStation owners in the long run.