Sony is taking PS5 exclusivity for its first-party titles very seriously. PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan says the company is sticking to its guns with its current strategy of not launching PC versions of its games on day one.
In a recent interview with Famitsu, Ryan dismissed the idea of releasing PC versions of PS5-exclusive games, such as God of War: Ragnarok, on the same day they launch on PS5 proper, saying that porting them over to PC two to three years after the fact has been working out well for Sony.
PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan says Sony will be sticking with a staggered release schedule for PC ports. Photo credit: PlayStation.
“We also fully understand the importance of PS5 exclusive titles. As I mentioned earlier, PlayStation Studios’ main responsibility is to make games for the latest PlayStation hardware that players will enjoy. We are increasing the number of PS5 exclusive games, and staggering the release of the PC versions,” Ryan said in a quote translated by IGN Japan.
He added, “I often have the opportunity to ask game fans for their opinions, and when I ask them how they feel about the time lag, they often say they feel the release of a PC version two or three years after the release of the PlayStation version is acceptable.”
Sony’s PC port track record is uneven
Sony ported Horizon Zero Dawn over to PC in 2020, three years after it released on the PS4, making it the first PlayStation to make the cross over to the platform. The company was previously against PC releases, preferring to stick to consoles.
In 2021, Ryan said Sony planned to port more of its games to PC, starting with Days Gone, because its “ease of making [them] available to non-console owners has grown.
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Xbox head Phil Spencer has criticized PlayStation for its staggered PC release schedule, pointing out that consumers are forced to pay an exorbitant amount for the PS5 or PS4 in order to play the games designed exclusive for those consoles and then pay up for the PC versions years later. Meanwhile, Xbox is the only platform that releases games on console, PC, and cloud simultaneously, especially on Game Pass.
However, porting first-party titles to PC is not without its challenges. When The Last of Us Part 1 released on PC via Steam back in March, it had performance issues and crashes that were so severe for many players that Naughty Dog apologized to them and promised to patch it up with an update.
Still, PlayStation has found plenty of success with its PC ports, with more likely on the way in the near future as Sony prepares to release Spider-Man 2 and other exclusives later this year.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.