PlayStation says no to Day One PC releases
PlayStation has clearly been watching Xbox very, very closely. We don't just mean when it comes to the ongoing battle to purchase Activision Blizzard (even with Jim Ryan's prodding), but rather, the approach to welcoming PC players to its community.
The advent of the Game Pass was a delight for console players, but as PC games began to get drip-fed to fans over the years, it has become abundantly clear that Xbox's community doesn't end at Xbox consoles.
PlayStation has been taking notes all the while, adding the likes of The Last of Us Part I, Marvel's Spider-Man and God of War to PC clients for fans to enjoy. But the company remains adamant that PC players won't be immediately entitled to the same release dates as console players.
PlayStation denies day one releases for PC
Click to enlargeOnce again, PlayStation has hammered home the fact that though PC players are finally getting their slice of PS exclusives, they won't ever be getting them at the same time as PlayStation players themselves.
In a new interview with Famitsu, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan discussed his love of opening up the doors of exclusives to PC players, but has also shut down the notion that those same players will play new titles on the day of their release. "We also fully understand the importance of PS5 exclusive titles," Ryan says.
"As I mentioned earlier, PlayStation Studios' main responsibility is to make games for the latest PlayStation hardware that players will enjoy. We are increasing the number of PS5 exclusive games, and staggering the release of the PC versions.
"I often have the opportunity to ask game fans for their opinions, and when I ask them how they feel about the time lag, they often say they feel the release of a PC version two or three years after the release of the PlayStation version is acceptable."
What's next for PlayStation on PC?
Click to enlargeCurrently, the PlayStation website doesn't have any new potential titles that are on their way to PC players. The most recent release was Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and The Last of Us Part I, but we expect some other titles aren't far off.
God of War: Ragnarok is a major hit that we logically could expect to arrive on PC in a few years, and who knows, maybe the major PlayStation showcase could reveal some big titles yet to come. In the meantime, we're left to speculate, and now that we can be sure these exclusives won't be coming on day one, we know what not to expect. Sorry gang, no Spider-Man 2 on Steam in 2023.