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Analyzing PlayStation's Exclusive Software Output

Heisenberg007

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
There isn't much doubt about Sony's quality of exclusive games, but there seems to be a general consensus that Sony needs more exclusives. This notion has gained more traction ever since Xbox grew its first-party studios to 23 over the last couple of years.

Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios, once told IGN that the plan for Xbox is to release one AAA exclusive game every 3 months [to keep Gamepass users engaged]. All the studio acquisition by Xbox was a part of this plan.

So how does Sony's exclusive software output compare with this plan of their biggest direct competitor?

To answer that question, I analyzed PlayStation's last two years and rounded up some of the more notable exclusive games (full, console, and timed) they have released that aren't available on Xbox as of this writing. There are, of course, plenty of other smaller and Japanese titles that I haven't included because of time constraints. Here is a quick rundown.

Iwy0nOf.png


PlayStation Console Exclusives (2020)

Bigger Games in 2020:
  • Nioh 2 (March 13, 2020)
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (April 10, 2020)
  • Marvel’s Iron Man VR (May 15, 2020)
  • The Last of Us Part II (June 17, 2020)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (July 18, 2020)
  • Sackboy (Nov 12, 2020)
  • Spider-Man Miles Morales (Nov 12, 2020)
  • Demon’s Souls (Nov 12, 2020)
  • Godfall (Nov 12, 2020)
Mid-tier and Smaller Games in 2020:
  • Dreams (February 14, 2020)
  • Predator: Hunting Grounds (April 24, 2020)
  • Genshin Impact (September 28, 2020)
  • Astrobot (Nov 12, 2020)
  • The Pathless (Nov 12, 2020)
  • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (November 2020). Suggested by PropellerEar PropellerEar

Output in 2020:
  • 15 exclusive games.
  • 9 big exclusive games.
  • One big exclusive game every 1.3 months or every 39 days.


PlayStation Console Exclusives (2021)

The following games are expected to be released in 2021. More games will also likely be announced next month.

Bigger Games in 2021:
  • Hitman 3 PSVR (Jan 20, 2021)
  • Disco Elysium: Final Cut (March 30, 2021)
  • Returnal (April 30, 2021)
  • Ratchet & Clank (June 11, 2021)
  • Guilty Gear Strive (June 11, 2021)
  • Deathloop (September 14, 2021)
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake - Intergrade (June 11, 2021)
  • Fracked PSVR (Summer 2021)
  • Horizon Forbidden West (2021)

Mid-tier and Smaller Games in 2021:
  • Destruction All Stars (Feb 2, 2021)
  • Oddworld: Soulstorm (April 6, 2021)
  • Kena (August 24, 2021)
  • Little Devil Inside (2021)
  • Stray (2021)
  • Solar Ash (2021)
  • Abandoned (2021)
  • Away (2021)
  • Wanderer PSVR (Q3 2021)
Output in 2021:
  • 18 exclusive games.
  • 9 big exclusive games.
  • One big exclusive game every 1.3 months or every 39 days.


PlayStation Console Exclusives (2022)

The following games are expected to be released in 2022. More games will also likely be announced for a 2022 release.
  • Forspoken
  • Final Fantasy XVI
  • Gran Turismo 7
  • God of War: Ragnarok
  • Ghostwire Tokyo
  • Lost Souls Aside
  • Sifu
Expected output in 2022 so far:
  • At least 7 big games announced so far.
  • One big game every 1.7 months or every 51 days.
  • Additional announcements will increase the software output next year.
Notes:
  1. I didn't include games that either haven’t been officially announced yet or have been announced but are likely years away, such as Spider-Man 2, TLOU Remake, Haven Studios game, Santa Monica’s unannounced game, TLOU 2 Factions, etc. Although, personally, I fully expect TLOU 2 Factions and TLOU Remake to be released before 2022 ends.
  2. I am sure I must have missed many games unintentionally. If I have missed any major PlayStation console exclusive games, let me know. I'll include those games in the last and redo the calculation.
  3. There are other exclusive games as well that have been announced but do not have a confirmed or rumored release date, such as:
    1. Firewalk's new IP
    2. WiLD
    3. Project Awakening
    4. Babylon's Fall
    5. Final Fantasy Remake 2

The Future of PlayStation Exclusive Games

While there may be a notion that PlayStation does not have the software output to match what its director competitors are doing, that is not the truth. What Xbox is planning and hoping to do in the future, PlayStation is already doing it. As of now, PlayStation is releasing, on average, more than 1 exclusive game per month and 1 big AAA game every 39 days, instead of 90 days.

And what's next?
  • Hermen Hulst, the Head of PlayStation Studios, recently revealed that PlayStation has more than 25 exclusive games in development (in addition to third-party exclusive deals).
  • Jim Ryan, the Head of SIE, said that PS5 will have more exclusives than ever this generation and they are aggressively making more partnerships.
  • PlayStation has also invested heavily in internal growth (roughly $4.1 billion) in the last two years to produce more first-party exclusives.
  • PlayStation will also increase that amount by $180 million this fiscal year.
Right now, PlayStation offers significantly more exclusive games per year. It is clear that this number will increase even more in the next few years, because of all the steps the SIE management has taken.

The future of PlayStation gaming is looking brighter than ever.

rwIYe7x.jpg
 
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E

elliot5

Member
I get what you're going for, but it seems weird to premise your analysis on Booty's 90 day engagement plan and the acquisition/growth of first party studios to facilitate that plan, and then go on to include console exclusives that aren't developed by first party studios.

I think if you were to include Warhammer, STALKER, The Gunk, etc etc that will be console exclusives on Xbox (for however long) then you'd prob get similar numbers regarding games released per month. Idk the numbers or lineup for "AAA" console exclusives ATM.
 
Heisenberg007

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Ass of Can Whooping said:
Future for traditional games looking great

Even more excited for what next-gen VR content they're cooking.
Click to expand...
Man, same. With haptic feedback, PSVR 2 will offer jaw-dropping experiences. My only hope is that Sony offers more high-profile PlayStation Studios IPs as PSVR versions, e.g., a full-fledged Spider-Man game or something in the TLOU universe.

Leveraging popular IPs will also help with PSVR 2 market adoption.
 
Handel

Handel

Member
Lots of timed exclusives in there to come to those numbers, which schews perception of what Sony is creating themselves for their users vs just what they're temporarily denying users on other platforms.

They output actual first party stuff at a solid rate, most of it is not my cup of tea though.
 
Heisenberg007

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
vaibhavpisal said:
5-6 average games going against Starfield and Halo Infinite isn't enough for 2021.

They need God of War too if they wanna compete, along with Horizon.
Click to expand...
No offense, but I think most people would agree that even Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart will be enough for both Starfield and Halo Infinite, assuming they do release in 2021.
 
Last edited:
Heisenberg007

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Handel said:
Lots of timed exclusives in there to come to those numbers, which schews perception of what Sony is creating themselves for their users vs just what they're temporarily denying users on other platforms.

They output actual first party stuff at a solid rate, most of it is not my cup of tea though.
Click to expand...
Godfall's timed exclusivity period is up. Final Fantasy VII Remake's timed exclusivity period is also up. Yet those games never got ported to other platforms. So unless a game does get ported to other platform, it only makes sense to include those games on this list, because they are -- as of now -- PlayStation console exclusives.
 
K

Kimahri

Banned
That is a strange list, and kinda creative thinking.

Combining Sony first party with third party exclusives + timed exclusives is not the same as Microsoft first party as a whole. Microsoft has third party exclusives too, but you just ignore that.

Also, Ghostwire is an MS IP now 😂
 
Heisenberg007

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Kimahri said:
That is a strange list, and kinda creative thinking.

Combining Sony first party with third party exclusives + timed exclusives is not the same as Microsoft first party as a whole. Microsoft has third party exclusives too, but you just ignore that.

Also, Ghostwire is an MS IP now 😂
Click to expand...
Because this is not really a comparison of PS5 vs. Xbox :) This is just to list games that are PlayStation Console exclusives as of now, which also includes Ghostwire Tokyo, which isn't available on other consoles.
 
R

reksveks

Member
I think PlayStation output is generally great in terms of number of games, do question some of the classification like iron man vr and godfall

Also disco elysium (just cause its such a short timed exclusives), guilty gear and hitman vr.
 
Last edited:
Tripolygon

Tripolygon

Banned
Kimahri said:
That is a strange list, and kinda creative thinking.

Combining Sony first party with third party exclusives + timed exclusives is not the same as Microsoft first party as a whole. Microsoft has third party exclusives too, but you just ignore that.

Also, Ghostwire is an MS IP now 😂
Click to expand...
Walk me through you logic why you think this is funny.

What good is Deathloop and Ghostwire being Microsoft IP from acquiring the publisher when the game is still exclusively launching on PlayStation? Microsoft owns the IP but the games are launching on PlayStation consoles first. And you find that hilarious to point out.
 
sircaw

sircaw

Banned
I have no worry when it comes to the quality and quantity of what sony is going to release in the future.

Also, after recently hearing about the 25 games list, half of which are meant to be new IP's if i recall correctly, what is there to worry about.

also, factor in that Sony will have a new god of war, Horizon zero dawn 2, insert massive list of amazing titles, what is there to worry about.
 
Heisenberg007

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
reksveks said:
I think PlayStation output is generally great in terms of number of games, do question some of the classification like iron man vr and godfall

Also disco elysium (just cause its such a short timed exclusives), guilty gear and hitman vr.
Click to expand...
Iron Man PSVR is a full PSVR exclusive. Hitman PSVR is also a PlayStation exclusive I believe. Guilty Gear isn't coming on other consoles AFAIK. Godfall's timed exclusivity period is up, but I think the devs are not porting the game to other consoles.
 
K

Kimahri

Banned
Tripolygon said:
Walk me through you logic why you think this is funny.

What good is Deathloop and Ghostwire being Microsoft IP from acquiring the publisher when the game is still exclusively launching on PlayStation? Microsoft owns the IP but the games are launching on PlayStation consoles first. And you find that hilarious to point out.
Click to expand...
What good? MS makes money off every copy.

Good lord, lighten up.
 
iHaunter

iHaunter

Member
Tripolygon said:
Walk me through you logic why you think this is funny.

What good is Deathloop and Ghostwire being Microsoft IP from acquiring the publisher when the game is still exclusively launching on PlayStation? Microsoft owns the IP but the games are launching on PlayStation consoles first. And you find that hilarious to point out.
Click to expand...
I've come to a conclusion that many people on GAF have 0 idea of how contracts work. The Xbots Copium is actually insane here.
 
Woopah

Woopah

Member
but there seems to be a general consensus that Sony needs more exclusive
Click to expand...

Is there? I thought the consensus was that Sony had done a really great job of improving their first party output in the last 5 years. Likewise they've done a good job of securing third party exclusives for the start of the gen and beyond. Once the impacts of COVID are behind us I don't think PS5 (or Xbox Series or Switch for that matter) will be hurting for exclusives.
 
Heisenberg007

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Woopah said:
Is there? I thought the consensus was that Sony had done a really great job of improving their first party output in the last 5 years. Likewise they've done a good job of securing third party exclusives for the start of the gen and beyond. Once the impacts of COVID are behind us I don't think PS5 (or Xbox Series or Switch for that matter) will be hurting for exclusives.
Click to expand...
There are many people who think that XGS will overshadow PlayStation Studios, at least in quantity of games. The idea of releasing one AAA game every 3 months also created a lot of buzz on the internet, and many implied that Sony is now lagging behind. We hear the argument 13 studios vs. 23 studios quite frequently, too.

I just wanted to analyze their output from the recent past and put things into perspective that there are actually better and more exclusive games coming out for PlayStation gamers (before their investments) than what their main direct competitor is hoping to get to in the next few years.
 
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