Sony’s latest statement has reignited debates about the future of PlayStation exclusives—and the signs are hard to ignore.
People in the game world are talking a lot about a new comment from Sony that has made people wonder about the company’s long-term plans. PlayStation made a lot of money for years by selling a lot of hardware and exclusive games. But things might be changing.
There are already signs of this change. Helldivers 2 is coming to Xbox, PlayStation ports have been coming to PC for years, and even the Nintendo Switch has gotten a few games from Sony. It’s clear that the walls of privacy aren’t quite as high as they used to be after a recent multiplatform job posting that made the internet go crazy.
This time, Sony senior vice president Sadahiko Hayakawa was the one who lit the spark. Through a statement that was later translated, which basically said that, Kawakawa confirmed that Sony is moving away from a hardware-centric business model and more toward a platform business that grows the community and increases engagement. Some people said the comment was about Sony as a whole, not just PlayStation, but when you look at the Japanese earnings call, it is very obvious the comment was about the gaming business.
This doesn’t mean that PlayStation is giving up on platforms or exclusives. When you look at the records and reports, it is clear that AAA single-player games are likely to stay on PlayStation for the time being. Sony may instead use the change to make a bigger push to bring back old games and live-service games to other platforms, anywhere they think there is room for growth.
The plan has already worked in the past. There’s a good chance that Sony will bring games like Patapon, Everybody’s Golf, and Freedom Wars to systems that aren’t PlayStation. Now that PS4 hits like Spider-Man, Bloodborne, Ratchet & Clank, or The Last of Us aren’t selling as many PS5s, it would be easy for new games to come out.
Then there’s Days Gone. Its studio’s live-service project was scrapped, and a lot of people were laid off. A multiplatform port could be a good way to bring in money and keep the IP alive. There have been rumors that Xbox is planning to add Steam to its next machine, which would make the lines between ecosystems even less clear. If this is true, Xbox users may soon be able to play many PlayStation games through Steam, even if Sony never puts them on the Microsoft Store.
The method seems to be working for Sony. Hardware for the PS5 is still selling at an all-time high, and ports and subscriptions bring in extra money without hurting system sales. As a result? A win-win situation: brand-new hits stay exclusive to drive hardware, while older games or games that focus on multiplayer play reach more people and make more money.
There is no doubt about it: Sony’s future in video games might not be as closed off as its past. Exclusives aren’t completely gone yet, but they’re not as strong as they used to be. If this is the start of a more open PlayStation, the business world could be about to go through one of the biggest changes in decades.
