PlayStation’s PC game sales have struggled because of its reluctance to commit to day-one releases on the platform.
That’s according to a new analysis by research firm Newzoo, via GamesIndustry.biz, conducted following this week’s report that Sony is allegedly scaling back its PC release strategy for its single-player games.
According to Newzoo, SIE’s strategy of releasing games first on PlayStation 5, followed by PC months or years later, led to a lower audience on PC compared to games that released on multiple platforms simultaneously.
“Newzoo’s data shows that PlayStation titles ported to PC after their console launch typically see PC account for around 13% of total players in the first three months across both releases,” said Manu Rosier, director of market intelligence at Newzoo.
“By comparison, when comparable AAA titles launch simultaneously on PC and console, PC contributes closer to 44% of players in the same period.”
He added: “What’s notable is that this pattern is not specific to Sony’s first-party portfolio. We see almost no difference between first-party PlayStation titles (12% PC share) and third-party PlayStation exclusives (13%), suggesting the outcome is primarily driven by the staggered release strategy rather than franchise demand on PC.”
According to Rosier, PC’s audience share of new PlayStation titles has been declining, with recent franchise ports performing worse than their predecessors.
“Looking at individual titles, the earlier wave of PlayStation PC releases captured relatively strong player shares on the platform,” he said. “Horizon Zero Dawn reached a 22% PC share (~4M lifetime players), God of War (2018) 14% (~3.5M), and Marvel’s Spider-Man 14% (~3.8M).
“More recent ports have generally seen smaller PC shares, including Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (8%), Horizon Forbidden West (7%), God of War Ragnarök (6%), and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (5%). Ghost of Tsushima is a notable exception at 11% PC share (~2.1M players), likely supported by being the franchise’s first PC release.
“The key takeaway is that release timing has a significant impact on PC engagement. When a PC version arrives years after the console launch, much of the early lifecycle demand has already been captured on the primary platform.”
According to Bloomberg, SIE is pulling back from its plan to release its upcoming games on PC, with future single-player games set to become PS5 exclusives. Notably, Ghost of Yotei won’t be coming to PC after plans for a port were scrapped in recent weeks, it’s claimed. Likewise, the upcoming PS5 exclusive Saros reportedly won’t be getting an eventual PC port.
