Releasing PlayStation’s huge video games on PC by way of platforms like Steam is “nearly like printing cash,” says former Sony Interactive Studios president and indie initiative boss Shuhei Yoshida.
Talking to the Sacred Symbols+ podcast (paywalled, and reported by Push Sq.), Yoshida says he advocated for PC releases of first-party titles when he was president, however Sony wasn’t eager on the thought on the time. Nonetheless, after testing the waters with just a few ports – which, technical points apart, unsurprisingly discovered success on PC – and, to not point out, the huge simultaneous launch of Helldivers 2, the corporate has come round and discovered to acknowledge the worth of PC gaming.
“Releasing on PC does many issues: it reaches a brand new viewers who don’t personal consoles – particularly in areas the place consoles should not as widespread,” Yoshida says. “The thought is that these individuals could turn into followers of a specific franchise, and when a brand new sport in that collection comes out, they could be satisfied to buy a PlayStation.”
The quick monetary worth of such ports can also be plain. “It additionally provides extra earnings, as a result of porting to PC is manner cheaper than creating an authentic title,” Yoshida provides. “So, it’s nearly like printing cash. And that helps us to spend money on new titles now that the price of video games has elevated.”
PC is more and more being seen as a progress market in a world the place the console market hit maturity a few years in the past. That is very true in Asia markets. Yoshida factors to the prevalence of PC gaming in China, which has “an enormous PC sport market” however solely “a rising however very small console market.” The explosive success of Black Fantasy: Wukong, which offered the vast majority of its copies on Steam and in China, is a topical instance.
Longtime Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto lately instructed GamesRadar+ that “there are extra gamers than ever enjoying on PC, together with in Japan,” agreeing with the platform’s rising significance.
