Sony’s stance around PlayStation games being a closed ecosystem might have to change. Even if really they’d like to keep you tied down to their platform. The way I look at it, Microsoft is having a huge amount of success for some of its titles via the PlayStation Store. They’re charting as top sellers. Nobody would have said this would’ve happened if you believed the random person saying that Microsoft hasn’t got the games a few years back.
As we’re seeing now, they do have the games, and they’re peaking the interest of Sony fans themselves that are willing to play it on their platform of choice. It’s an easy cash grab for Microsoft and a resource that makes sense to them with the direction they’re going in.
Does it make sense for Sony? Well, it depends what camp you’re in, because if you’re in the Sony camp. It’s going to be a resounding no by most of the voices of PlayStation. However, if you happen to be invested in the business side of all this and how PlayStation games would do great things next-gen on an Xbox. There is a point to say that it’s something Sony will likely not ignore for too long. I do believe PlayStation will follow suit in some capacity.
You might be thinking of no chance; however, if how well Microsoft is doing on a PlayStation is any concern. You might want to rethink that a little. Because ultimately, Sony has games that quite literally cost a fortune to make. There is untapped potential and rewards in bringing PlayStation Studios to a wider audience, including Xbox.
We’re going to find out very soon how Sony intends to act in the next generation surrounding Steam and PlayStation exclusivity and where they stand. Because from Sony’s perspective themselves. They’re branching out in the entertainment space with great success elsewhere.
We have the critically acclaimed The Last of Us, and even anime is becoming a big thing for PlayStation. The way Sony has operated for the last 30 years might not be in their best interest to carry on with as a long-term future thing. Especially when there are a lot of untapped audiences that would like to play their games on devices they choose to play on. That right now happens to be getting invested in those unique universes. For those that would rather play any other way than a PlayStation or just prefer other ways of playing. This should be music to your ears.
Sony is in this very moment, operating on 30 years of success by gamers that are now in their 30s and 40s and the loyalty they’ve shown the brand. However, sometimes fortune’s favour the brave, and if they wish to carry on even with the masses of hardware they’re selling. They’re going to need to open their doors sooner or later to a new generation of players with a bigger appetite for the brand, and ultimately, that might sway a course correction into the future that sees only Nintendo as the most exclusivity-driven. How many times have we seen this play out? It is normally reciprocal and reactionary based on how their competitors are doing.
This upcoming new generation is going to see a big shift for the industry. I think, mostly positive. However, those of us who are latching on to our bygone eras and principles might need to embrace some of what the new kid on the block brings to the industry at large. A harsh reality, but it’s exactly where I see everything going.
For all the success Sony is having, how long until the message is received on console number ceilings and PlayStation Studios want to be doing even better numbers and have their work enjoyed by even more people? Sony is now following the metrics number of PSN activity (logged in) for any device. If anything, that’s nothing new, but it’s a tonal shift somewhat in that nothing in the future is completely off the table to how they account for success.
Written by Craig Clark
From gaming industry headlines to all things Manchester United and entertainment, Craig covers the stories everyone's talking about — alongside his own published works.