"It's almost like printing money": Former Sony exec says PC ports of PlayStation games are too valuable to ignore

They already have. Licensed games like Lego Horizon and MLB are day and date. Remakes and Remasters like Days Gone, TLOU 2, etc are day and date. All their GaaS games are day and date. That leaves them with a couple single player games, like Ghost of Yotei, which are not day and date yet, but have been reduced to 6-12 month windows.

So, factually, the majority of games that PlayStation first party studios are developing are day and date.

agreed, good point..

No they haven't. They had record revenue that is true but that's only because they bought Activision/Blizzard. So they were able to report their revenue up against what they had before they purchased the company. The following year the revenue dropped. You also will not find anything about " record profits" because Microsoft has never claimed that, at least not for the Xbox division.

Microsoft selling 30 million consoles is absolutely pitiful and a consequence Sony could face if they continue to release their exclusives on PC. The difference is Sony does not have 80 billion dollars to buy up studios to create a subscription service that could compete with gamepass. I'll say it once and I will say it again...

MICROSOFT'S STRATEGY WILL NOT WORK FOR SONY"

Sony would be better off doing the same thing Nintendo is doing but focus on the high end console market. They need to abandon the live service trash and focus on high quality single player games and keep them "EXCLUSIVE" to PlayStation. Otherwise they will end up like Microsoft with a dead console but unlike Microsoft they won't have a subscription service to make up for it.

correction, Xbox was already twice the size they were in the 360 generation in terms of revenue before the ABK acquisition.. this is because Xbox expanded their software beyond consoles to include PC and cloud.. putting your products and services in front of more customers leads to more revenue.. this isn't a complicated concept..

and, like it or not, you're in a thread where Yoshida literally says putting PlayStation games on PC is like "printing money" yet you're in here saying otherwise.. 🙄

dude, who knows more about the PlayStation business: you or Yoshida?.. 🤷‍♂️

How was that a correction? It didn't correct anything I said?

Please explain to me how that's impressive? The 360 was largely successful due to third party not first party and it topped out at under 85 million sales. That was also at a time when Xbox live subscriptions were $9.99. They are currently $14.99 and $19.99... so even if they didn't expand their audience it's easy to double your revenue when you're not accounting for inflation 🤣. They could just maintain their userbase and double thier subscription cost and they would double their revenue... notice he said nothing about " Profit" or " users"? They have 34 million subscribers as of 2024... Sony has around 47 million on one platform and PC users have shown they don't give a shit about PSN.

Yes and Yoshida is no longer with the company. He also wasn't their when PS5 sales started trailing the PS4.

If he knew so much why did they demote him? Look I like Yoshida and I wish he was there but the Japanese are oblivious if they do not think the PC will cannibalize their platform. Why are you even arguing this when we have already seen it happen with Xbox and unlike Microsoft Sony can't buy 30 more game studios to make a subscription service that would be relevant.

TLOU 2 was day and date on PC, Xbots!?

Days Gone was day and date on PC, Xbots?

Ignoring this statement by Shu, Xbots, huh?

#SonyToo, right, Xbots!?

I addressed HD2, you won't address mine points though because they don't for your narrative. Like I said ONE game out of all of Sony's big hitters Hermits chose a MP game and EVERY other Sony game sold more on console.

So yeah, we can't have an honest conversation because you won't be honest, we're done here.

@pcgamerlaszlo: 1 game out of ALL of Sony's games sold better on PC with a bigger userbase, but yeah lets celebrate the 1 game, see that's why i'm here to hold you dishonest Hermits in check.

Pretending to be objective gamer and how games should be everywhere. That's surely is an Xbox fandom narrative when Xbox ship is sinking, not PS or Nintendo. Exclusives matters and always will. Talking about corporate bootlocking, yet very Xbot on this board is making a thread with Xbot dumbass and brainwasher ColtEastwood. LOL

A corporate boot licker would be someone still wanting you to purchase an unnecessary 500 dollar piece of plastic so you can play 3 games.

So, you really calling people who has a 1 console a corporate bootlicker? LOL No wonder why Xbox is messed up and soon will be fossil. Anyway, what are the Xbots then which has a few XSX and XSS and plays only on these platform?

Xbox really deserve nothing good for all the shit you are doing. DESERVEDLY SO

Read what I wrote again. It debunks the lies that Shu Spew

the correction is the implication that Xbox revenue is only up because of ABK.. Xbox revenue was already double what they were doing with the 360 before ABK..

it's impressive because you probably think Xbox was doing it's best business during the 360 generation, yet they're actually generating more revenue currently with a fraction of the console sales.. you're just moving the goal post because your narrative doesn't fit the realty.. the Xbox business doesn't depend on just the console market and they are benefiting from that change in strategy.. a strategy that PlayStation has adopted by releasing their games on PC..

Dude, if Phil Spencer retired and then (as a former head of Xbox) started saying that Game Pass was a failure and that going multiplatform was a disaster, you would eat up his every word as if it was the gospel.. keep that same energy.. Yoshida knows infinitely more about the PlayStation business that you do and he's saying that supporting PC is like "printing money".. your personal opinion matters very little by comparison.

"totally ignoring" Helldivers 2 isn't addressing it.. it's literally the opposite..

This thread got the Sony fannies spinning. Well done OP.😂

@last_lap: You're using an illogical fallacy kid. I posted sources for my claims, you haven't, and looking at the thread you aren't holding anyone in check, you're getting beaten down by everyone like a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.

No.. he said they had " record revenue "... that is in fact only because of ABK... I never argued that it wasn't higher then the 360 era.. 🤣

I'm not moving the goal post at all. If you adjust for inflation they are worse off then they were in the 360 era... To give you an example the PS5's revenue is nearly 40x what the PS3's was and you're bragging about 2x? 🤣🤣

I never said it was a disaster for Xbox.. It's a brilliant strategy for Xbox because their console sales sucked, they weren't selling third party software and their first party games were starting to tank. Make no mistake about it MS would rather have a successful console with large software sales but that wasn't happening. So they are finding another alternative but I assure you it isn't the future for everyone and few companies can even attempt to do what they are doing.

Jim Ryan was at PlayStation for 30 years yet I could have told his dumb ass that his live service strategy would be a failure. So no.. corporate execs don't always know what's best. Yoshida also never believed in day and date releases either so I'm not sure why you are using him for your argument? His theory was that by releasing the games years later, it wouldn't effect PlayStation sales. That's a far cry from your claim, so you have no idea what you're talking about.

@pcgamerlaszlo: So business as usual.😂

@Antwan3K: Stop acting (I hope it's acting for yor sake) like a clown as I have addressed it TWICE now, and yet you haven't addressed EVERY other Sony release on PC that has sold more on console, but, but HD2 right 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

@pcgamerlaszlo: The simple facts are that 1 game of Sony's had sold more on PC, every other game sold more on console.

Keeping you Hermits in check is easy.

On a side note kid and ass, you sure have a fascination of kicking farmyard animals, maybe you should go talk to someone about that, it's not healthy.

@Pedro: It's really too easy. Feels almost like punching down.. Almost..

so i guess you don't understand that old records can be broken and new records can be set..

the point being made is that Xbox is generating more money because their software has expanded to other platforms; which is the entire point of the conversation in this thread..

the fact remains: Yoshida knows more about the PlayStation business than you do.. Yoshida is saying that putting games on PC is like "printing money" for PlayStation.. your personal opinion is meaningless by comparison.. and it's not just Yoshida.. multiple Sony/PlayStation execs, both past and present, are saying the same thing: PlayStation is going to keep putting games on PC..

the obvious reason is obvious.. it's because putting games on PC is "printing money" for them..

Helldivers 2 was the best selling game of the year for PlayStation, was released Day One for PC, and sold better on PC than on console.. this is an apples-to-apples comparison of what happens when PlayStation put a highly anticipated, quality title on both PC and console at the same time..

please address why this fact should be "totally ignored".. and please explain how totally ignoring something is the same as "addressing it"..

and i've already addressed why games that were released 4 years prior on console will have sold more copies than the PC version.. i mean, duh dude.. this has been repeatedly pointed out to you.. yet, when a major PlayStation game is released Day and Date on both platforms, the PC version actually sold better.. imagine that.. 🤷‍♂️

There was no major move in revenue until they acquired Activision/Blizzard.

Xbox is generating more revenue because their console didn't sell. Playstation doesn't have this problem. Devaluing their platform would only hurt them in the long run.

And the fact remains you have no idea what you're talking about. Yoshida never wanted to release day and date on PC. Yoshida also knows absolutely nothing about the PC market or the modern generation of gamers. So no... he actually doesn't know more then I do and listening to you talk is agonizing because you are clueless.

The fact Microsoft spent 80 billion dollars on acquisitions and still has lower revenue and profit in their Xbox division then Playstation pretty much proves my point. A valuable platform is so much more important then selling a few extra games.

@loudheadphones: you really went out of your way to try and reshape what I implied. Lol. Funny.

Let me be clear... A corporate boot licker is someone who lusts to keep games on a singular platform knowing that it keeps other gamers out who would happily pay the studio for the game.

They decided spending 400 mill on games was the right way to go... They became multiplatform publishers... Why would anyone be loyal to the Corp?

Pro gamers rally around making games available to all gamers. We get off from it.

@BassMan said:

@last_lap said:

@outworld222 said:

True. GoW is available on GoG. Somebody should make a list of Sony games available on Steam or GOG. Upcoming, as well.

But where do they sell the most, on PC or console?

We keep hearing PC is only growing, has the most gamers etc, but Sony's games still sell more on PS. Take Spiderman for instance, sold over 20 million on PS, sells 1.5 million on PC. And as you may or may not know there are 132 million active users a month on PC, the PS4 only got 117 million sales and yet sold like 10x as many copies.

Hermits talk it up all the time and the sales never stack up.

Imagine trying to compare sales of a game that released years earlier on a console and was marketed as an exclusive for that console, to the PC version which came way too late with minimal marketing and no hype. Meanwhile, the majority of people who wanted to play the game already played it on PS and did not bother double dipping.

As already mentioned with Helldivers 2... when given an equal opportunity with a simultaneous launch, Sony games can do very well on PC and even exceed the sales on console.

The original Helldivers launched day one on PC back in 2015. There is a great market on PC for multiplayer games... not as much for single player. Either way it would be dumb for Playstation to make their console redundant.

This is short sighted and dumb. Explain to me why PlayStation has more revenue then Xbox even though Xbox went out and spent 80 billion dollars on game studio?

Selling a few extra copies of your games is not worth killing your platform. MS had nothing to lose because the Xbox was already dying.

Nice wat to spin it. It is so easy to check post history how you Xbots before cheered for exclusives even when Bethesda and Activision were acquired by MS. No need to be a hypocrites. Exclusives matters. Mind you, Xbox ship is sinking. So, according to your logic, those who owns only a single Nintendo platform and a PS are corporate bootlickers, while you Xbots are pro gamers because Xbox is going 3rd party, huh. I'm so happy that Xseries is the last home console by MS. Just a reminder, you are dancing how Phil Spencer is singing. Phil Spencer before : exclusives matters, Xbots : exclusives all the way. Phil Spencer today : we are going 3rd party, not trying to move players to Xbox, Xbots : yeeees, games on every platform. :/ Talking about bootlicking

Truth is that you don't want to feel bad about your Xbox purchase and wasted money because Phil Spencer made you to look like an idiots for all these years. You don't want to feel buyers remorse. You'll justify yourself anything to feel good while going into bed in damn tears.

@elderlord99 said:

@BassMan said:

@last_lap said:

@outworld222 said:

True. GoW is available on GoG. Somebody should make a list of Sony games available on Steam or GOG. Upcoming, as well.

But where do they sell the most, on PC or console?

We keep hearing PC is only growing, has the most gamers etc, but Sony's games still sell more on PS. Take Spiderman for instance, sold over 20 million on PS, sells 1.5 million on PC. And as you may or may not know there are 132 million active users a month on PC, the PS4 only got 117 million sales and yet sold like 10x as many copies.

Hermits talk it up all the time and the sales never stack up.

Imagine trying to compare sales of a game that released years earlier on a console and was marketed as an exclusive for that console, to the PC version which came way too late with minimal marketing and no hype. Meanwhile, the majority of people who wanted to play the game already played it on PS and did not bother double dipping.

As already mentioned with Helldivers 2... when given an equal opportunity with a simultaneous launch, Sony games can do very well on PC and even exceed the sales on console.

The original Helldivers launched day one on PC back in 2015. There is a great market on PC for multiplayer games... not as much for single player. Either way it would be dumb for Playstation to make their console redundant.

Helldivers 1 didn’t launched day and date on PC. At first it was launched on PS3, PS4 and PSVita. PC version came at the end of 2015

It doesn't debunk. TLOU 2 and Days Gone didn’t launched on PC day and date. Remasters doesn't make an old IPs a new one.

@elderlord99 said:

@BassMan said:

@last_lap said:

@outworld222 said:

True. GoW is available on GoG. Somebody should make a list of Sony games available on Steam or GOG. Upcoming, as well.

But where do they sell the most, on PC or console?

We keep hearing PC is only growing, has the most gamers etc, but Sony's games still sell more on PS. Take Spiderman for instance, sold over 20 million on PS, sells 1.5 million on PC. And as you may or may not know there are 132 million active users a month on PC, the PS4 only got 117 million sales and yet sold like 10x as many copies.

Hermits talk it up all the time and the sales never stack up.

Imagine trying to compare sales of a game that released years earlier on a console and was marketed as an exclusive for that console, to the PC version which came way too late with minimal marketing and no hype. Meanwhile, the majority of people who wanted to play the game already played it on PS and did not bother double dipping.

As already mentioned with Helldivers 2... when given an equal opportunity with a simultaneous launch, Sony games can do very well on PC and even exceed the sales on console.

The original Helldivers launched day one on PC back in 2015. There is a great market on PC for multiplayer games... not as much for single player. Either way it would be dumb for Playstation to make their console redundant.

They already did.

Is it possible that HellDivers 2‘s PC performance is an outlier? An exception, not the rule? I know anytime Nintendo is brought up regarding software sales and attach rates, we immediately have to dismiss any comparisons because Nintendo is the exception…

There was zero indication that HD2 was gonna pop the way it did. The first game didn’t do that on any platform. Fans of the first game were skeptical of the perspective change. Then boom, the game caught fire. It’s almost like they knew they had a game that would do really well on PC🤔🤔 But now Xbox fans are trying to tell the world that HD2 is proof that PlayStation needs to put all their games on PC day one. Why? Is it because Xbox does? You know what else happens when PlayStation launches console games? They sell more consoles. 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 So does Nintendo. Oh wait, we can’t bring Nintendo to the discussion. They’re the exception, not the rule 😂🤣

@loudheadphones: wow... You read what I wrote... Didn't comprehend it and then doubled down in another post not getting it again.... 🤷

I think you're struggling with my definition because you see yourself as one... Your loyalty is to the plastic box and the company you identify with. You are content as long as your favorite corporation is "in the lead" with selling plastic boxes.

By contrasts, you've been tricked into thinking there is any parity at all any longer outside Nintendo... And even Nintendos Eshop is a big pile of multiplats...

You've been tricked into supporting exclusivity on games that cost hundreds of millions dollars and need volume to break even. Essentially choosing the glory of the plastic box over the sustainability of the game studio.

You've been tricked into thinking that it's normal for us to own every console to play all the exclusives, when again there is no more grand difference between libraries necessitating a thousand dollars of extra hardware to play.

A lot has come into play over these past few years. For me the biggest shift in my thinking came when game budgets started leaking out.... That opened my eyes to the pro gamer life. I realized these developers are playing Russian roulette with every game based on cost and that in order for the hobby to survive, everyone needs to have access to these games. That should not be determined by which corporations box you own.

We exist at a point in the hobby where corporations outgrew the exclusive model with how much they were willing to risk on a project and so publishing every game to pc or Xbox or ps or Nintendo is both welcomed and also in line with a better experience for gamers everywhere.

@TheEroica: On topic, you ignore every instance where an exclusivity deal is the only reason some of these games are developed and launched. The examples are countless at this point. Games aren’t made on sunshine and rainbows. When we have gamers in this very board preaching playing more games for less, the math stops working. The games industry has been disrupted in more ways than one, and what we are seeing now is the company with the biggest pockets, but also with the most to gain, trying to pretend to be the “good guy,” by spending the competition out of business. (Their words, not mine) And they’ve managed to spin this “consumer friendly” persona while also convincing a lot of people that their problems due to their strategy shift are actually industry wide problems. We now have many years of data to prove that’s not the case, and yet there’s folks in games journalism, social media and all over message boards that continue to push these false narratives for the mega corporation that can’t seem to grow their gaming division. Talk about bootlicking 😂

You’ve very publicly been expressing how you’ve been falling out of love with video games and express your desire to just play whatever you want on your Steam Deck. Unfortunately that business model doesn’t make sense. Your new gaming habits and outlook on the industry are fine. That doesn’t mean that’s how the industry needs to shift. Like Xbox, Eroica’s problems with gaming aren’t industry wide problems. There’s gonna be games you can’t play on your Steam Deck. That’s on you, not Nintendo or PlayStation.

Xbots still can't realize in any single way that Xbox ship is sinking, not PS and Nintendo. They DON'T WANT TO ACCEPT THE REALITY. This is what happens when they believe in car salesman

Nope! You, Xbots are tricked. Exclusives matters. Looks like console like PS5 or Switch with exclusives is doing great, but not Xbox. Xbox home console is no more. Exclusives will stay and i'm so damn glad that Xbox will GTFO from home console space. I'm glad that Sony and Nintendo are pursuing exclusives. EXCLUSIVES MATTERS and it is for like what... 30+ years! **** Xbox! Xbox and Xbots are fossils now. What Xbots knows other than constantly brainwashing and dancing how Phil Spencer is singing.

Xbox doubling their revenue over the 360 generation isn't "major"?.. ABK was a huge jump in revenue on top of already increased revenue.. i'm sorry, not sorry, but that your narrative doesn't match reality..

There's a reason why PlayStation is looking for additional revenue streams.. People like Yoshida know exactly why.. People like you are just speculating.. i mean, just look at what you typed above.. You are completely delusional if you think that YOU know more about PlayStation and/or the gaming business on the whole than Shuhei Yoshida..

fanboys like you are reason why having an actual conversation on this forum is next to impossible at this point..

Like it or not, Sony/PlayStation has repeatedly said their games are going to be more widely supported on multiple platforms (console, PC, cloud, and mobile).. There's a reason for that and "printing money" on PC is a very obvious one..

There goes Antwan3K, bitch slapping every cow into next week. This is pure gold folks.

You two just perfectly articulated my point. Thank you.

@taint: Man, you flip-flop harder than ProtossRushX. Now that's just sad😂

You ain't seen hard yet my friend!

He's getting slapped like all delusional lemmings.

No it isn't especially because that revenue growth came mostly from monthly cost increases not subscriber growth. Why is that so hard for you to understand? Why do you consistently ignore the fact that Microsoft was considering leaving the game business if the Activision/Blizzard merger didn’t go through? If they were doing so well why would have that even been an option?

Yes because the quest for endless growth is a reality of corporate greed. You using corporate executives as an appeal to authority to justify your argument shows how utterly oblivious you are. Yoshida is on record saying there was little risk to releasing PlayStation games on PC years after they launched on the console. You somehow interpret that as believing it would be better for Playstation to release their games day one on PC therefore making their console completely redundant. If you don't see how oblivious this makes you there is no point in carrying on this conversation as you have no idea how these companies make their money and no absolutely jack shit about the modern game industry.

The thing is I'm not even a fanboy. I'm just speaking basic facts to anyone that has a basic understanding to how the industry works.

Sure.. they also said they were going all in on live service( which has failed miserably)

They said their was little risk to their PlayStation business by releasing games on PC( as PS5 sales fall behind PS4)

They have said alot of things but that can change in one quarter. What Sony will realize ( especially if they go day and date on PC) their market share will crash and they will be worth a fraction of what they are now.

@taint said:

@elderlord99 said:

@BassMan said:

@last_lap said:

But where do they sell the most, on PC or console?

We keep hearing PC is only growing, has the most gamers etc, but Sony's games still sell more on PS. Take Spiderman for instance, sold over 20 million on PS, sells 1.5 million on PC. And as you may or may not know there are 132 million active users a month on PC, the PS4 only got 117 million sales and yet sold like 10x as many copies.

Hermits talk it up all the time and the sales never stack up.

Imagine trying to compare sales of a game that released years earlier on a console and was marketed as an exclusive for that console, to the PC version which came way too late with minimal marketing and no hype. Meanwhile, the majority of people who wanted to play the game already played it on PS and did not bother double dipping.

As already mentioned with Helldivers 2... when given an equal opportunity with a simultaneous launch, Sony games can do very well on PC and even exceed the sales on console.

The original Helldivers launched day one on PC back in 2015. There is a great market on PC for multiplayer games... not as much for single player. Either way it would be dumb for Playstation to make their console redundant.

They already did.

Yes and sales are falling behind the PS4... if they go day and date they will tank.

No they won't hundreds of millions of people don't want to play on PC (or other devices).

What? Go back and read this thread. Antwan is kicking all the cows' ass and taking names. It's funny to watch you guys ignore all the facts he provides with a "but but this doesn't count" or they are just ignoring what he wrote because it decimates the cows stance.

He literally has no idea what he's talking about. You are a perfect example of " the blind leading the blind.

He doesn't even know how platform holders make their money and ignores the consequences of making a console completely redundant.

Then what happened to Xbox console sales... where did the Xbox fans go?

It must be opposite day. Where was the memo posted? I almost thought your were being serious here^

I'm the only Xbox fan left here, and didn't say any of that, in fact I said Sony would be dumb to do the same as Xbox.

You need to realise that these former Xbox fans have fully turned into Phil sycophants, so you should be using that term from now on.

I wasn’t involved in your back and forth with Loud, so I don’t know your beef with him. But I certainly don’t know how what I said is articulating your point. I would like to hear a response from you regarding what I said. I feel like there’s a dialog to be had here. I know most here have no interest in a real conversation. But I feel like you and I could have a real conversation. 🤷🏾‍♂️

@elderlord99: I don't care about Xbox's revenue as that's not my concerned. I'm not an Xbox guy, just a PC gamer. And you have to be Businessman to understand how making money works. If hearing MS are please how they port their games on PC, I guess it's working for them. If Sony isn't please on porting their games on PC, they would have stop that a long time ago.