Exclusivity has been a hot topic in the video game scene as of late, with the shifting approaches of both PlayStation and Xbox inviting plenty of scrutiny. With both companies toying with multi-platform releases in varying ways, it’s become difficult to tell whether future games will be sticking to one system or not.
For PlayStation, it’s mostly been a question of whether games will come to PC, as reports suggested the company would be backing off on bringing its exclusives to the platform. In a new update, PlayStation has officially confirmed the current status of its policy regarding exclusivity in the foreseeable future.
In a new interview with Famitsu, PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino explained the “main policy” surrounding exclusives at the moment (translated by Genki on X). Currently, “first party developed single-player games” will come exclusively to PlayStation, while “live service games” will continue to receive PC ports in order to “be played by as many people as possible through online multiplayer.”
These comments echo recent reports on the subject, but they mark an about-face from PlayStation’s policy in recent years. Entries in flagship franchises like God of War, Horizon, and Marvel’s Spider-Man launched as timed console exclusives, but they typically arrived on PC within a two-year window. Now, it sounds like PC players will only be able to expect more games in the vein of Helldivers 2, Marathon, and the short-lived Concord.
This pivot isn’t only happening at PlayStation, as Xbox has also suggested a newly renewed focus on exclusivity. While Xbox titles will continue to come to PC, and some future releases are already set to launch on PlayStation, the push for Xbox exclusives to come to PlayStation has apparently abated. Gears of War E-Day backtracked from a planned PS5 release, despite Gears of War: Reloaded recently releasing on the competing platform.
For those still invested in console wars, the return of exclusivity might be welcome. There’s also something to be said for the longevity of the business model, which has continued to work for Nintendo after decades of refusing to budge. For those simply wishing to play as many games as possible, however, seeing publishers retreat from rival markets might be more of an inconvenience.
Regardless, it’s nice to get a clear statement from PlayStation’s CEO himself about the subject. PlayStation games on PC aren’t going away entirely, but as for bespoke single-player experiences, you’ll have to invest in a PlayStation 5 after all.
- Founded
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October 3, 1994
- Owner
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Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Known For
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Uncharted, God of War, Horizon, The Last of Us,