PS5As Xbox moves to be multiplatform, PlayStation is dialing all in on PCWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
PS5As Xbox moves to be multiplatform, PlayStation is dialing all in on PCWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)
If I had to assign February 2024 a word, it would be multiplatform. Against a backdrop of aggressively widespread redundancies across the games industry over the last month or so, both Xbox and PlayStation have been pushing the idea that multiplatform is the way forward if we want to make the industry more sustainable in the long term. WhileMicrosofthas come right out and taken Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and Grounded all to PS5 – and the latter two also to Nintendo Switch – PlayStation has set its sights on taking on the PC market.
Over the last few years, PlayStation has made a habit of bringing its big PS4 and PS5 exclusives to PC around a year after their initial console debut, so this renewed push shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The likes of Returnal, The Last of Us, Marvel’s Spider-Man, God of War, and Uncharted have all made the migration to PC in recent years, with the majority gaining a celebrated second wind. But it seems like that’s just the beginning ofSony’s plans for PC. Unlike Microsoft, however, it’s not being that forthcoming about how its plans around PC releases will change going forward.
PS meets PC
(Image credit: Future)
During Sony’s latest earnings report,chairman Hiroki Totoki statedthat originally “the first party title’s main purpose was to make the console popular” – aka the PS4, PS5, and so on. Now, though, Totoki states that this first-party content “can be grown with multiplatform”, and that’s something that the company is pursuing with “aggressive” force to ensure improved profit margin performance. While Xbox might be courting PlayStation and Nintendo gamers, Totoki makes it clear that ‘computers’ are the focus for PlayStation.
Those statements came just a few weeks before Sony’s shock announcement to lay off900 people across its studios, with those reductions affecting numerous PlayStation Studios including Insomniac,Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, and the complete closure of its London Studio. It’s a similar story to Microsoft’s layoffs earlier this year,with nearly 2,000 people cut from its gaming divisionin January. It’s been a bleak 12 months for the industry, despite some excellent games and sequels debuting across 2023, but it’s clear from everything we’ve seen this month that the only way to turn things around is to – in part, at least – launch games on other devices.
“Delivering the immersive, narrative-driven stories that PlayStation Studios is known for, at the quality bar that we aspire to, requires a re-evaluation of how we operate,” explains PlayStation Studios head, Hermen Hulst. “Delivering and sustaining social, online experiences – allowing PlayStation gamers to explore our worlds in different ways – as well as launching games on additional devices such as PC and Mobile, requires a different approach and different resources.”
Xbox boss Phil Spencer said much the same in therecent Xbox Podcastwhere its first wave of plans for its multiplatform strategy were revealed. “I do have a fundamental belief that over the next 5 or 10 years, exclusive games, games that are exclusive to one piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry,” he stated, and clearly this is key in the attempt to rectify the issues plaguing the industry today.
The only good bug is a dead bug
(Image credit: Sony)
I say PlayStation hasn’t clearly outlined any changes to its PlayStation to PC strategy, but it has already made a start this year with Helldivers 2. The multiplayer shooter is the first PS5 console exclusive to also debut simultaneously on PC, and it’s had a phenomenal start. It only took24 hours for Helldivers 2 to become the biggest PlayStation Studios game launch on Steam, and it’ssince gone on to become the biggest Steam launch from a PlayStation or Xbox Studios. That’s overtaking the likes of Destiny 2, although that didn’t come to Steam until several years after its initial release, but also Starfield too, which also dropped as a simultaneous release between Xbox and PC.
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(Image credit: Future / Phil Hayton)
It’s something that PlayStation will need to shed further light on soon too. With confirmation that the PS5 won’t get any new major existing franchise titles before April 2025 and that as part of the corporate restructuring and layoffs several unannounced titles have been canceled, the future is looking a little uncertain for the platform.PS5 exclusivesfor this year are currently restricted toFinal Fantasy 7: Rebirth, March’sRise of the Ronin, Stellar Blade in April, and then little else – at least that we currently know about. None of those are even slated for simultaneous PC releases either.
If multiplatform is the thing that will save our games industry, then Sony and PlayStation – and hopefully Nintendo too one day – need to fully embrace it with some haste. At least the small glimmer of a silver lining to all this turmoil could well be the death of the console wars, and the extreme territorialism that comes with it. We can but hope.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5
Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”