The move to Horizon: Zero Dawn onto PC does not mean Sony will bring PlayStation exclusive games in that direction. All is probably just a market test of Sony only.
Probably right now, the gaming community is thrilled with the information that Horizon: Zero Dawn, a game exclusively for PlayStation 4, will set foot on Steam in the summer of 2020. Why is this information causing excited gamers? Because this was one of those rare times, Sony decided to bring a developer’s game under its own onto another platform. The PlayStation had several exclusive games for a while after the contract between Sony and the developer expired to be transferred to another platform.
Until now, fans have understood that putting an in-house game from Sony on a PC is almost impossible. How many years do PC gamers (not PlayStation controllers) always hope to one day Uncharted or The Last of Us, God of War, will be available on Steam?
Just recently, Quantic Dream’s trio of games, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human, were also brought to PC via the Epic Games Store to the amazement of fans. This time, Horizon: Zero Dawn seems to give gamers hope for one day when all PlayStation exclusive products will be available on Steam.
However, I will not be happy so soon. Horizon: Zero Dawn is most likely still just an exploration of Sony’s PC gaming market. And they have no intention of pampering the computer user community by bringing up their entire, exclusive game, at least for the time being and the near future.
The PC market needs to be scrutinized.
I can understand this tentative move by Sony. Overall, PC games are still a big money-making market. Of course, no one wants to ignore such a lucrative place to make money. But on a closer look, the PC platform contains many issues that can cause Sony to ruin the brand of games it has built over the years.
Perhaps the reader must also admit to me that one of the problems is crack. Not every gaming company supports users playing crack games to promote this War of Mine of 11 Bit Studios. Reputation is what Sony’s games already have. Sony needs now is money and the ability to expand the market for its next product. The PC game market is potential, users of this platform are also looking forward to exclusive games on the PlayStation, but the crack has caused them to think and explore more.
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Not to mention the “pervert” mod that can ruin Sony’s game characters. Mod game is one thing that PC gamers are most proud of, but not everyone is conscious of preserving the character image. Surely Sony will not want to see his iconic character naked or have offensive images or turn into an animal uncle like Kratos.
Overall, PCs are a potential market that Sony certainly can’t ignore. However, they still need time to calculate and analyze carefully if they want to put their iconic games over.
Sony also needs to develop a game streaming service
God of War, Uncharted or The Last of Us are the three iconic game brands of the PlayStation, bringing Sony home gaming consoles ahead of the competition. It will be difficult for Sony to decide to port to another platform because even if it ends, Sony still has a way to exploit these famous brands’ potential. The most typical is the development of the PS Now game streaming service.
Sony wants to use its proprietary games to increase console sales, expand market share, and entice users to use its PS Now service. This is the easiest way for PC users to experience Sony’s games. If they decide to put them on PC, will PS Now service still be attractive enough for gamers? I guess not.
Sony is still improving PS Now day by day, making it smoother and more stable. Someday, when the Stream game service becomes the gaming industry’s main development direction, Sony will still have enough strength and market share to compete with rival services. Therefore, the iconic exclusive game brands with PlayStation attract users to the PS Now service.
So is there any hope for Sony to bring the rest of its proprietary games to the PC?
It is difficult for us to predict whether Sony plans to bring its massive games to the PC. PlayStation Worldwide’s president, Hermen Hulst, shared that Sony decided to bring Horizon: Zero Dawn to the PC because they found it suitable for the PC platform. That doesn’t mean that their proprietary games will also be available on PCs.
This is a relatively unreasonable answer, but it also partly tells fans that it is best not to hope on a God of War, Uncharted, or The Last of Us on a PC. Some games are considered symbolic, playing a significant role in the PlayStation development, so Sony certainly can not help but be careful when referring to other platforms.
I think that readers need not hope to do anything. Horizon: Zero Dawn is on PC, Quantic Dream’s trio of games also come on PC, but with PlayStation’s, more popular brands is another story. The percentage of hope for the entire PlayStation game on PC is tiny, and even shortly, we are not sure to see that happen. So now, if you want to play Sony’s exclusive game, you can buy a console for fast or find a way to sign up for PS Now, though the registration is relatively confusing.
