Sony might be upping its timetable for bringing certain first-party PlayStation titles to PC, though the company hasn’t settled on how to approach that yet.
In particular, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst mentioned that there is a gap period of “at least a year” before Sony brings its first-party games to PC platforms. But that might not be the case with live-service games that the company launches in the future.
In an interview with YouTuber Julien Chièze, Hulst noted that a live-service game’s need for a strong community and lots of engagement right at release is a factor that could push the company to release certain titles with that live aspect as a focus day-and-date across console and PC.
“Live service games are a little bit different in nature because you want to to have a really strong community, strong engagement right away when you go live,” Hulst said. ”So we might, in the case of our live service offerings go day-and-date with PC and the PlayStation platform.”
This was just one of several interviews with Hulst that were all published earlier today, with the studio head telling Axios that Sony has 12 projects in the live multiplayer space in some form of development. These are being developed by newly acquired teams like Haven Studios, but also internal teams—and they might not focus entirely on new IPs.
Regardless of the live-service approach, the single-player narrative games Sony is known for making won’t be going anywhere.
Not only are the single-player titles the company’s most profitable releases, but bringing them to PC post-launch on PlayStation consoles has opened up another revenue stream—with mobile projects coming down the line too. The PC releases have also helped Sony to continue investing in its studios so it can “invest even deeper into their projects.”
Sony will also continue to release games for the PS4 as it aims to capitalize on the large install base of the console and its cross-platform synergy with the PS5.
“We certainly don’t want to forget the millions of active players on PS4, and we want to ensure there are great games for them as well,” Hulst said. “We’re evaluating it on a case-by-case basis.”
Mobile development is going to be a focus of growth moving forward, too. Hulst noted that Sony plans to up its own “internal capability” to develop games for mobile platforms while also working with external partners.
This approach to branching out where its games and franchises are playable, along with additional projects potentially coming down the line in the TV and movie department, has Sony in a strong position across multiple points in the gaming market moving forward.
