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Sony could be stopping/changing the PC port strategy?

It's hilarious that they raised this because the answer is one of the most decisive statements by Sony in favor of PC ports. Just setting themselves up for the biggest self-own:

Screenshot-2025-02-10-at-9-49-51-AM.png


We have neither confirmed any such trend is underway
Even in that statement here they are gaslighting! It's a statement made by lawers. Read it carefully.

What they are really saying is that the trend of users opting for PCs is happening (they just haven't confirmed it) and they are saying that it's not a major risk. But they are not saying how they are defining "major", it could be anything those accountants want it to be.
 
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HogIsland

Member
Even in that statement here they are gaslighting! It's a statement made by lawers. Read it carefully.

What they are really saying is that the trend of users opting for PCs is happening (they just haven't confirmed it) and they are saying that it's not a major risk. But they are not saying how they are defining "major", it could be anything those accountants want it to be.
yeah it's probably because they'd prefer if PC-based consoles replaced the need for them to make hardware.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
epic isn’t a huge publisher

People continue to push false comparisons. Obviously it isn't working out for Epic because they have to run into the minus to even get games on their storefront. They have no steady stream of exclusives.

Sony unlike Epic can provide a steady stream of exclusive games throughout the year AND they have more leverage for exclusive 3rd party titles than Epic does.

Just having a place to publish their GaaS games royalty-free will be massive for Sony, but I think it'll be telling that if Marathon launches on Steam the PC storefront/launcher probably isn't close to release, but I imagine games like Helldivers 3 will not be on Steam and probably a big reason we haven't seen GT7, and possibly Demon's Souls, or Bloodborne drop on Steam yet.

Isn’t Activision mostly just a CoD studio now?

Exactly. People like the idea that Microsoft is now a bigger publisher than Sony and yeah, they might publish more games than Sony does annually, but their games do not have the same level of impact.
 

James Sawyer Ford

Gold Member
Now it’s publishing? Epic has tried despite doing all you mentioned and more, but please let Sony go down that path, they like to follow dumb moves others have made.

Nothing dumb about it. It’s just adding their own store while still releasing on steam later.

If some gamers don’t want day 1 unless on steam, wait like they currently do
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Even in that statement here they are gaslighting! It's a statement made by lawers. Read it carefully.

What they are really saying is that the trend of users opting for PCs is happening (they just haven't confirmed it) and they are saying that it's not a major risk. But they are not saying how they are defining "major", it could be anything those accountants want it to be.

Hilarious when you set your own agenda and no matter what you hear, it reaffirms your conclusions.

Sony hasn't confirmed i.e. seen any such trend and we know that because their MAUs are still high. Any evidence of people migrating to PC would come in the form of decreased MAUs.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
yeah it's probably because they'd prefer if PC-based consoles replaced the need for them to make hardware.

That doesn't make any sense. The entire point of PC ports, according to Sony, is lure PC gamers to PlayStation. Beyond that, why in the world would Sony want to abandon the PlayStation platform in favor of other devices? I think you are confusing Sony with Microsoft.
 

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
The way to maximize this concept is Day and Date on PS launcher only

Steam release 2 years later

You get the benefit of unified marketing, while enticing 100% of sales

I’ve been saying this since they started doing ports. We already know they’re making a launcher so this is probably what theyll do eventually. Would also get double dippers. Rockstar got my dumb ass to buy RDR2 on their barebones launcher.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
That doesn't make any sense. The entire point of PC ports, according to Sony, is lure PC gamers to PlayStation. Beyond that, why in the world would Sony want to abandon the PlayStation platform in favor of other devices? I think you are confusing Sony with Microsoft.

That is not what Sony said was the purpose of their PC Ports. That was a quick mention as to what could be a possible benefit, which shouldn't be confused with the entire point.



Their goal is to sell more copies of games, period. They didn't port Day's Gone to PC because they were hoping PC fans would buy a non-existent sequel.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
That is not what Sony said was the purpose of their PC Ports. That was a quick mention as to what could be a possible benefit, which shouldn't be confused with the entire point.



Their goal is to sell more copies of games, period. They didn't port Day's Gone to PC because they were hoping PC fans would buy a non-existent sequel.


Not the "entire point", true, but it is a stated goal. The point I'm making is that this doesn't jive with Sony preferring "if PC-based consoles replaced the need for them to make hardware"
 

HogIsland

Member
I’ve been saying this since they started doing ports. We already know they’re making a launcher so this is probably what theyll do eventually. Would also get double dippers. Rockstar got my dumb ass to buy RDR2 on their barebones launcher.
we don't actually know this. there were vague "references" in the insomniac leak which is content from 2022


what they've actually done since is an in-game Playstation overlay, not a separate launcher app:

 
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Fess

Member
Is that what matters?

Revenue selling on PSN = 100%

Revenue selling on Steam = 70%

End of story, losing a sale on PSN to sell on Steam is stupid. The day that PCs have physical media, with used resale and exchange, you come back here and say "but what about physical media"
Games in external launchers don’t sell nearly as much as on Steam.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Not the "entire point", true, but it is a stated goal. The point I'm making is that this doesn't jive with Sony preferring "if PC-based consoles replaced the need for them to make hardware"

I think that point is largely confused.

There's value in selling on PC games without having to sell console hardware, but that doesn't mean console hardware is deprioritized or that Sony is even thinking about moving away from consoles.

PC releases are about dealing with the rise in game development costs. If Sony can sell their games on PC with no tangible impact to their console sales, why not? Especially Live Service games.

It's clear that Sony isn't just looking to get people to buy sequels on console though. If that were the case Spider-Man 2 and TLOU2 wouldn't hit PC until sequels were out on console first. The same with Horizon. Instead they're trying to make their IP as well known as possible and the more people who talk about PlayStation IP the more console they'll sell. That's why Hermen mentions transmedia projects like TLOU on HBO and Gran Turismo.

Console warriors have such a black and white view of business that they can't begin to see Sony's strategy or even Microsoft's. Or Why Nintendo doesn't have a similar one.
 

HogIsland

Member
Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft seem to do just fine...
minecraft and roblox are just apps. they don't require you to build a new digital library with a new store.

fortnite, similarly was just its own app until Epic decided to make it their whole storefront. and other software sold through egs is NOT doing fine. Alan Wake 2 was a financial failure largely because of EGS exclusivity.
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
minecraft and roblox are just apps. they don't require you to build a new digital library with a new store.

fortnite, similarly was just its own app until Epic decided to make it their whole storefront. and other software sold through egs is NOT doing fine. Alan Wake 2 was a financial failure largely because of EGS exclusivity.

So you think individual games can be successful but more than one game can't? Make that make sense... where is the logic there?

Again, Epic isn't a big publisher. PlayStation Studios is.

How many games has Epic made in the last 4 years? How many has Sony made?

The bet Sony will be making on PC with a storefront is that they can generate more revenue selling more copies of software than the cut they're giving Steam and have more control over the environment in which they're selling.

Alan Wake 2 was on consoles too. Why are we only pointing to EGS as a reason for it not selling well?

Genshin Impact on PC is also through EGS isn't it?
 

Danknugz

Member
That doesn't make any sense. The entire point of PC ports, according to Sony, is lure PC gamers to PlayStation. Beyond that, why in the world would Sony want to abandon the PlayStation platform in favor of other devices? I think you are confusing Sony with Microsoft.
imagine being lured to playstation from PC because of a spider-man game
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Sony don’t have any game like that. And even those ginormous successes would most likely do even better on Steam.

There are a lot of problems with your general thinking, I'll try to illustrate all of them

  • Sony doesn't have any game like that presently, but it doesn't mean they won't in the future
  • The games Sony currently have could also benefit from the lack of profit sharing
    • MLB The Show, Gran Turismo, Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, Destiny, Marathon, Helldivers, and future FromSoftware titles
  • There's no real evidence to suggest that not being on Steam is in anyway a real hindrance to any of these games. In fact you could probably argue that they're all bigger than Steam itself. Steam is not a monolith and there is no real evidence to suggest that there is this massive contingent of Steam users holding out for steam access to play any of these games
    • You'd like look at CoD, but CoD was never biggest on PC, it was always bigger on console and still is
    • This again brings forth the reality that PC doesn't actually run through Steam and it's entirely possible to be successful outside of Steam and if you can be successful outside of Steam you're better off by doing so

If I'm Sony, I'd also make a deal with T2 to host GTA6 on PC with no revenue sharing required. That combined with their 1st party offerings and some exclusivity deals would certainly place it on a larger footing than EGS.
 

Fess

Member
There are a lot of problems with your general thinking, I'll try to illustrate all of them

  • Sony doesn't have any game like that presently, but it doesn't mean they won't in the future
  • The games Sony currently have could also benefit from the lack of profit sharing
    • MLB The Show, Gran Turismo, Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, Destiny, Marathon, Helldivers, and future FromSoftware titles
  • There's no real evidence to suggest that not being on Steam is in anyway a real hindrance to any of these games. In fact you could probably argue that they're all bigger than Steam itself. Steam is not a monolith and there is no real evidence to suggest that there is this massive contingent of Steam users holding out for steam access to play any of these games
    • You'd like look at CoD, but CoD was never biggest on PC, it was always bigger on console and still is
    • This again brings forth the reality that PC doesn't actually run through Steam and it's entirely possible to be successful outside of Steam and if you can be successful outside of Steam you're better off by doing so

If I'm Sony, I'd also make a deal with T2 to host GTA6 on PC with no revenue sharing required. That combined with their 1st party offerings and some exclusivity deals would certainly place it on a larger footing than EGS.
There are many examples why it’s hurting sales to not be on Steam and other launchers are bringing their games to Steam now for that reason.

And if they would go day 1 on a PS launcher it would be the same scenario as now on Steam with little hype from being a late release. There are many examples of that too.

As for a reason to wait for a Steam release. I’m booting my PC in the living room into Steam’s Big Picture mode, makes it a Steam console basically, only use a controller. So it’s not like I even notice that other launchers exist in my daily life on that PC. And if I buy a game in another launcher, which is extremely rare, I have to exit Steam and pull out a mouse/keyboard and it instantly break the console experience. With some fiddling I can add other launcher games into Steam, then use the controller again, but it’s not perfect with no playtime shown or achievements on non-Steam games. As it is I basically just go outside Steam to add Gamepass games a couple times per year.
 

Felessan

Member
Sony don’t have any game like that. And even those ginormous successes would most likely do even better on Steam.
Delusional PC fans....
Fortnite is the size of Steam, why it would want to share revenue, what latter can offer to Epic?

There are many examples why it’s hurting sales to not be on Steam and other launchers are bringing their games to Steam now for that reason.
Yeah, Mihoyo is so sad it's not on Steam
 

Xyphie

Member
The only successful non-Steam launchers are the ones with top-tier GaaS games (Minecraft, Roblox, Riot, Battle.net etc). I could see something like Destiny 3 doing fine on its own, but trying to launch Wolverine or whatever on their own store is just a futile exercise.
 

Fess

Member
Delusional PC fans....
Fortnite is the size of Steam, why it would want to share revenue, what latter can offer to Epic?


Yeah, Mihoyo is so sad it's not on Steam
And Roblox has almost twice the mau. Nobody cares, unless you’re heavily mp focused and already big enough to be your own brand like those giants you need to be on Steam. It’s just how it is. As said, when you boot into Steam you don’t even know when games on other launchers are out unless you look it up on the internet. How do think it’ll be if SteamOS devices gets popular?
 
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