Reaction: Why Sony Won't Deploy PS4 Exclusives on PC

Totally agree with your analysis. Some people say street fighter V is the same but street fighter is developed by a third party while quantum break is developed by first party microsoft studio. Shame though, if i where an xbox one owner i would be p*ssed too.

_{Language - get2sammyb}

Wanna play ps4 games on PC? Just wait for the remote play PC app. Tbh I would be surprised if Xbox becomes a line of multitier prebuilt windows gaming pcs in the future.

I think, in the long run, that xbox one exclusives going to PC will hurt xbox one sales. Why buy an inferior bit of tech to play a game when you can have a far better experience as well as superior graphics with a PC. No XBL Gold sub required either. MS will end up regretting this move.

Great article! I believe Microsoft should revisit their goals for what they want from the Xbox One console. They will continue to lose the video game industry if they keep this up.

@get2sammyb Ahum, my mistake but i always have seen remedy as first party while capcom with most of their IP's are multiplatform ( Oke, Monster hunter is Nintendo exclusive).

Suits me... I'm thinking of getting a decent PC to go along side my PS4 and if I can get the Xbox one exclusives without having to buy an Xbox One It's much easier for me... Then again the Xbox One exclusives don't really interest me as much as Uncharted, Killzone, Horizon, TLOU ,God of War. I think Microsoft could be shooting their selves in the foot with the Xbox One here. But yeah I don't think there is any reason for Sony to publish their big first party games to PC, the exclusives may act as a slight incentive for PC owners to buy the PS4 over the Xbox One.

As I speculated on this very site many months ago, Micro$oft is slowly but surely pushing it's windows dominance. The xbix brand as a whole has always cost Microsoft alot of money, some speculate that the xbix brand is operating at a loss if you incorporate all 3 consoles. Windows is their bread and butter and the phones, and tavlets, and xbox are just a means to get to windows. I guess I would be a little I'll if I bought an xbox because of an exclusive like Quantum Bream only to have it be announced as a pc title mere months before release. It comes across as a bit disingenuous, especially since they probably knew they were going to do this for some time and let people continue to believe that the only way to play Quantum was to buy an xbox1. All about the Benjamins baby!

A bad move by Microsoft there sales will definitely drop, why play on the XboxOne when you can buy the game cheaper & play it on the PC. One of the reasons people buy one console over the other is there exclusive games, Microsoft has taken that out the way if you own a half decent PC.

"Xbox, whether people want to see it or not, is becoming more and more about selling people on the Windows experience."

Exactly this...
Which is why it doesn't make sense for Xbox One to be what it is. A companion console to the PC.

Plenty of original Xbox and Xbox 360 'exclusives' were also on PC. The reaction to yesterday's news was so overblown, especially given who the developer is. Remedy's games are always on PC. I got a few good laughs at least. Until I realized how many Xbox gamers were crying over something that doesn't hurt them in the end.

I'm the only one who thinks that Exclusives are good??
Microsoft killed the games now it wants to kill the sense of Exclusivity?
I think Exclusivity is made for differenciate the platforms, I mean if every platform have all the same library of games then what's the point on buying certain console or pc??
I'm more Traditional guy, I want Exclusive games to exist

Exclusive is the main reason why we decide which platform to buy or build(PC) and I want this to CONTINUE

Without even taking sides one way or the other, let's face it--this reveal was handled last minute and badly. My thought is that if this cross platforming had been announced before the holiday, Xbox One sales would have suffered even more and Microsoft knew that. And withheld the information.

Kind of pathetic in my opinion.

I think that this will make xone less and less important on the long run. Sony, and Nintendo, are both correct if they want to keep the relevance to theirs consoles. And while steam has millions of users, there's a lot of people who doesn't even log in their accounts anymore.

Whether they sell a copy on the One or on the PC, it's all money made by MS and their gamedivsion. When you're not reigning supreme like the PS4 is, it's actually a pretty smart way to keep first and second party development viable at all. A game like Halo 5 for instance, I wonder if they actually made money out of that one, especially since they were selling the consoles at almost no profit. So the moment you manage to sell another million or 4, or in QBs case 800k - 1million, on another platform, I'd say go for it!

People who are whining now don't understand that in this industry they NEED to do this, or else MS is gonna pull the plug within 2 years. But it shows gamers at their best: one group is celebrating that their games are more exclusive than the other one's and the other ones have the crazy idea that when you spend $400 on a console, you get to have a say in the console manufacturer's business strategy for years to come. Get over yourselves!

@GrawlogMS

"how many PS4 owners who also have a PC are going to buy this game now?"

This. I actually came here to say that exact same thing. I think it's a smart move by MS. PC and console players are just about two different gaming segments. So this isn't really going to hurt MS at all (if you don't count the butthurt Xbox super fans). Also, if I'm understanding correctly, you get the PC version for free if you buy the XB1 version? Sounds like they are selling this game to Microsoft fans, as it looks more of an ecosystem move than anything else.

As far as Sony following suit, I don't know how this works, but I would imagine there is probably some licensing fees associated with putting their games on Steam or Windows 10?

As an Xbox One owner, I really don't know how to feel about this. I mean, the January NPD suggests the X1 was down year-to-year while PS4 was up. Halo 5 was the worst-selling mainline entry in the series. Forza 6 and Forza Horizon 2 stalled after selling 1 million copies. Rise of the Tomb Raider struggled to sell 1 million, and the PC version was released pretty quickly. Sunset Overdrive bombed.

Is this going to be another Sega Dreamcast situation or what? I have so many questions and not a lot of answers. MS has an X1/Win10 summit in 13 days, but this does feel like MS is prepping us for when they abandon console gaming altogether. And I'm kinda sad about it.

@Grawlog Quote: but I'd be willing to bet a large portion of console gamers are console-only.

Yes, i'm a console gamer only since i like exclusives. If everything was on PC i wouldn't invest in a Ps4 or a xbox one but in a graphic card to built a powerfull rig.

@Boerewars Please, if you're not making enough money you want your investment to pay off. You invest in a console for exclusives otherwise what's the incentive to pay 400 dollars for an underpowered pc like box.

Furthermore, quote: people who are whining now don't understand that in this industry they NEED to do this, or else MS is gonna pull the plug within 2 years. Do you think the average dummy thinks about the industry? I agree with your point but i do get why people get mad.

@Sanquine
Analysis? Seriously? - what has been analysed in this article?
Remedy are not a Microsoft owned (first party) studio.

They are publishing the game on their two platforms (Windows and Xbox)

If you were an Xbox owner you'd be peeved? Wise up.

Fanboys. You don't care about games.

@Sensechat Fanboy? Dude, i'm a non native speaker. Correcting me over a word like analysis. Seriously the cherry picking is sky high.

Wow, and the only comment you made on this site is to punish me on my words. What a d*ck. This site is full of toxic people like you. I just rationalize that if i was a xbox owner i would be pisted. Whats the incentive for buying a console if the exclusives are also on PC? My sole reason for buying a Ps4 is uncharted

From what I understand, MS want the win 10 experience across both PC and Xbox platforms. In doing this, they will also allow cross platform play. Games like the upcoming Fable for example is cross platform although both win 10 devices.
According to EA, a breakdown of the sales of SW:BF showed that PC gamers were not that significant in terms of this specific title with only 2% of the market. Across Win 10, it still only accounted for 41% of the sales.
As MS own both Win 10 and Xbox, these games (Quantum Break, Halo, Gears of War etc) are MS exclusives. Because Sony don't have a PC operating system or a foothold in the PC gaming market, its exclusives are purely console based. When I see Xbox exclusive - to me that says the only 'console' I can play it on is an Xbox - in the same way I see a Sony exclusive as playable only on a Playstation console.
I own both a PS4 and XB1. Part of my decision to own both was to do with the 'exclusives' although in truth, this was just a very small part. Exclusives themselves only make up a small percentage of my gaming collection overall with the majority being 3rd Party multi-platform releases. Some of these 3rd Party games have some console exclusivity - timed or otherwise. Often this is 'console' based so get these before PC does too.
Another reason I bought a XB1 instead of a gaming PC is convenience and cost. I know I could set my TV to be a monitor, but its not the most convenient way to do it. I also know that unless I spend a lot of money, other people could well have a competitive edge over me in online gaming - less lag on their monitor, better visuals/frame rates for better and quicker target acquisition etc. At least on console, everyone has the same (or at least very similar) set-ups. I also know that all games over its life will run on my console, I don't have to invest in a new chipset or graphics card, invest in new RAM etc - My hardware cost is fixed. Both my consoles cost less than a decent gaming set up - less than some graphic cards too!
I am sure if Sony had a foothold in the PC market, its exclusives would also be available to those PC's too. It doesn't make sense to limit your potential sales. It may sell a few additional consoles but could also limit their PC and game sales overall.
I really don't understand why gamers are upset by this news/decision. Its still a 'console' exclusive. Its still something the rival console will never get. If people want the 'cheapest' way to play it, its still cheaper to buy an XB1 than a gaming PC - especially if you include monitor and game pads.
I have never understood the mentality of people over exclusives. So you get to play a game that others can't (unless they too invest in hardware) but that doesn't make you superior. It just means you have another game to play. I am not superior because I played the Last of Us, Uncharted or Gears of War, Forza! ANYONE can play the exclusives IF they want to invest in the hardware.
At the end of the day, Exclusives generally don't account for that many sales or percentage of game collections.

Nicely thought out article. If you have got a good PC and Sony were putting there exlusives on both forrmats they just would not buy a PS4. At the moment you are getting PC owners who own both a console and PC. Thats the situation Sony should maintain. Microsoft came from the PC market and so the cross over for them probably feels different.

The biggest problem with the PC market is Piracy as soon as a game gets released a lot of people are not going to be paying for it.

I do not know how profitable the xbox brand has ever been for Microsoft. Depending on what reports you read it seems to be a mixed message. What the xbox does though is advertise the microsoft brand and keeps it in people minds. If Microsoft did not have the xbox how much would it be talked about. I think Xbox will always stay in the console market as long as Sony is there. But the line might become less and less between PC and console.

For PC owners it shouldve been a no brainer from day 1. Get a PS4!! Defo best of both worlds... Or as close as u can get without buying both consoles. Still find it incredible that XOne sold pretty well, especially after those disastrous decisions at E3. Happy with my PC/PS4 combo. . . XOne has ZERO exclusives that I would want AND the ones that aren't on PS4 (yet) like ROT Tomb Raider etc, I got on PC. Love the PS4 exclusives coming out this year.... SF V must b a real kick in the teeth for XBOne owners.

I would be very surprised if this is the 'last' xbox console. Despite the fact that a lot of games can be played on PC, It still accounts for a very small percentage of the gaming market. Even with the promise of better visual, better frame rates etc, game sales are a lot less on PC compared to the console sales of those games. Where companies have provided 'breakdowns' of their game sales by platform, Consoles account for over 90% - even 98% in the case of SW:BF.
As much as this is a PS site, I do believe that MS has had a positive impact on Sony and its gaming strategy, marketing etc. Certain features that you take for granted nowadays owe a debt of thanks to MS (I know it works in reverse too).
Blurring the line between PC's and Xbox gaming could be good for gamers on both formats. Whilst it may seem disappointing to XB1 owners seing games going to PC, they could also come the other way as well as any 'apps', Not only that we could see more cross platform games which mean bigger and better lobbies. With BC, the online games playable on XB1 also have XB360 gamers in the Lobbies. If CoD:BO2 (for example) came to BC, you could play online with a mix of XB1 and 360 owners. If this is expanded into PC's too, you could have a bigger user base.
Consoles are NOT just about exclusives, its maybe a consideration but there are a lot of other deciding factors too. Cost, ease, family use, space, media, etc.I doubt you could buy a gaming PC and game for £300. I doubt many people with a gaming PC have their rig set up like a set top box - most have a monitor, desk etc. In my house, I don't have the room for a general PC set up and my consoles etc take up very little space and far more 'convenient'.
I agree that if you own a PC for gaming, it now makes little sense to buy an XB1. I don't know if this will apply to all future exclusives - Will games like Sea of Thieves be on PC too. Even if it does, being an MMO could actually benefit the game by being on PC.

I don't game on PC and I don't see myself doing that anytime soon. Nothing against it of course, but I just don't do I. I'm a console guy, I have the Xbox1, PS4, and Wii U so I'm good. If MS thinks releasing QB on PC will help them then I say let em do it. They are doing the same thing with Killer Instinct too.

For Xbox Fans it was another 'Quantum Heart-Break' announcement Like I said all last Gen to Xbox Fans, if I wanted to play Xbox Exclusives(not that any interest me anyway) I would get them for my PC(they hated that)

I don't blame Sony for not putting a lot of first party games on PC as well. They'd lose their advantage in console sales most likely.

It seems stupid to me if they want people to buy an XB1. A lot of people have PCs already then buy consoles for the exclusives. They'll not bother buying an XB1 if all the 1st-party games are also on PC.

I own an Xbox and I don't feel like they betrayed me. MS feels like both XBox and PC are part of the same ecosystem because they share Windows 10. So being able to experience a game across both, especially if there's cloud sharing or same servers, seems like a really cool idea. I'm sure if they could, they would also port this to phones.

The concept and motive is a bit similar to what Nintendo has planned with their NX console/handheld hybrid (if rumors are to be believed) in that both run the same or a similar os making it easier to port, stream and play with each other, thus creating a more inclusive ecosystem.

And this isn't the end of Xbox. Don't kid yourselves. It's easy to lose perspective posting on video game websites, but we're the most hardcore of the gaming community, thus PC has a strong showing. But there are tons and tons of gamers, far more than those with PC rigs, that game only on consoles or mobiles. They're going to keep buying console games, and most of them will never bother with websites about gaming, preferring to let word-of-mouth, youtube trailers, and magazines tell them about games.

Sony should never have first party exclusives games on steam or PC. What makes a console distinguish itself from the others is having games the other console doesn't have.

So are there really a lot of people angry about this, or just the loud obnoxious few? I mean, the guy having the twitter fight w/ Spencer is named "TheCrapGamer", so I'm thinking even on his best days hes not the happiest fellow to be around.

And how many people bought an Xbox One for QB anyway? It's a new IP that hasn't been reviewed yet. And it's not like it's getting dropped or delayed for X1, it's still coming out, the X1 doesn't instantly become the Wii U b/c PC is getting the game.

Though on the other hand, I have seen some people on here over the past 2 years who seem annoyed when a PS4 game like MGSV also showed up on PS3, so maybe it's just a pride thing that really has nothing to do w/ gaming? X1 and Win 10 getting the same game is like PS4 and Vita getting the same game, or PS4 and PS3. I suppose the late announcement of it coming out Win 10 is annoying, but having a late announcement isn't the same thing as dual platforms. MS probably screwed up a bit there, but it's MS, so I'm not surprised.

@rjejr
just the load, obnoxious few. it's always the loud, obnoxious few.

@Sanquine
As an X1 owner, I honestly couldn't care less. If anything, I'm happy for PC gamers who will now also be able to enjoy another great game.

Had the game been announced for a rival console, then I'd say wtf. But PC? Idk, it just seems so irrelevant to the console space. And a MS platform at that.

As far as I'm concerned, Quantum Break (and Street Fighter V, and countless others) are exclusives. PC doesn't even register on my radar.

It's a smart move. The article makes a good point, PC Games are a Vocal minority. PC gaming and Console gaming are, in my mind, different beasts. At lot of people at my work consistently question why I console game when Steam games are so cheap etc. The reason is the same reason most people console game - the hardware is cheaper and it is easy to use and fits into peoples front rooms.

I am sure there are some PS4 or XB1 users who also PC game but for many, economics dictate one platform or another. So I think this makes sense for MS. It is all about Windows to them. They can potentially profit off two market segments.

It also makes sense for Sony to NOT do the same. There is nothing in it for them except to lessen hardware sales.

@xStormxBringeRx
Why buying an expensive game PC when you can buy a console for the same games? I want games who are fun to play, not only uber graphics.

@banacheck

Why should I play the games on a game PC? I want to play games, hanging on a couch instead of sitting on a chair behind an expensive game PC? Don't think that everyone with a console prefers a game PC, I changed after 10 years of PC gaming to the PS4 and XBO and I will not going back.

Do xbox fanboys get it now? The history of xbox is filled with 'lies'. First xbox 360 said no need for blu-ray, then no need for HDD or wireless console. And began xbox gold with no free games back then and pay to go online whereas PS3 was free. Now with xbox one it was DRM, cloud-computing (?!) and exclusives becoming un-exclusives. You know what drives each decision from them... greed and maximum profits. They dont give a flying squirrel about the gamer. They fooled me with initial xbox 360 cos later I purchased a bigger HDD and a wireless adaptor which resulted in costing more. New xbox slogan 'Not for the gamers!' I was gonna buy a xbox in Sept but no point now... might as well wait for pc versions of all the xbox exclusives or wait until xbox onetwo to pla current games on backwards compatibility. Yep I'll be picking up xbox one games for £5 @ CEX in 4 years time to play on onetwo. woot. Sticking with PS4 for now. At least they don't keep changing their frikkin minds every 2 years and wasting my hard earned cash! Hope Sony don't do the same with their exclusives ... at least wait 2 to 3 years before allowing on PC.

@bbq_boy
"there, there..., just let it all out"
*pats head soothingly

With the recent restructuring at Sony, they are making the PSN the main focus of their operating business. In a sense, the psn is their pc...minus the competition's operating software.

You can already buy tv's that have the psn built in.

At first, it may seem smart for Sony to release it's exclusives on PC... but not if they are structuring the PSN to, in a sense, compete with Windows.

Besides, the playstation library is one of, if not it's biggest, selling points.

lol every little obvious thing gets an entire article devoted to it

this article basically stated the obvious

This can only hurt xbox (console) in the long run, if you have a gaming pc what purpose does the xbox serve if both have the same games. Does this cross buy work both ways? I only ask as most games appear to be cheaper on pc. Long term this looks like Microsoft positioning the xbox as a service as opposed to actual hardware, just as PS now is Sony testing the water for a similar future for Playstation

The thing to bear in mind here is that the recommended graphics card for Quantum Break costs £500. That's just the card. Then add in £250 for the CPU, a case for £50 (and that's quite cheap), motherboard for £100, £120 for Windows, and arguably an Xbox controller, and you're looking at spending more than 3 times what an Xbone costs.

Frankly, this really isn't cannibalising the Xbone's sales at all. You could get an Xbone and about 8 games for the price of just the graphics card you need for QB.

@Sanquine Remedy aren't owned by Microsoft as other people have said. Not sure why you'd see it that was since their previous games have been on a variety of different platforms including Sony ones with Max Payne. I think ALL their games before QB have been on PC.

This is actually the same as with SFV in that sense. The difference is that SFV was always known to also be on PC so people accepted it long ago. Also PS4 is comfortably on top so people are less defensive about this kind of crap.

@Sanquine Where did you get that this game is from a MS first party studio? The game is been developed by Remedy Studios and they aren't owned by MS.

@super_bruno @Matroska I already was corrected by Sammy

@Matroska You're wrong. Street fighter was multiplatform in the ps3 / xbox 360 era. Now it's console exclusive on Ps4. Furthermore, i have more things to do than "do some research" .

@Sanquine Yeah, I know. I'm saying that it's the same because as Capcom's games are usually multi-plat, so are Remedy's. If Quantum Break had stayed Xbox One exclusive, it would be the first Remedy game to have remained Xbox exclusive ever. No one's telling you to do research; you're the one that was talking about what their games had previously been on as if you knew.

Anyway, the main thing is that this is normal for Remedy. People are just annoyed because as the Xbox One isn't doing very well compared to the PS4, these little things hurt more.

@Matroska
You're probably right that Xbox One being behind PS4 makes this hurt more, but if somebody has their feelings hurt because Remedy is doing what Remedy has always done that's their own problem. It's hilarious to me all the ruckus this has caused. I'm getting the game on Xbox One, I'm going to enjoy it on Xbox One. There's plenty of stuff to b*tch about this industry, I'll never see how more people getting to play a game is one of those things though. Unless a game is very, very bad, then maybe it's better if access is limited.

I see people talking more and more about how exclusives are 'losing importance', and all I can think of is how weird this market has gotten.

When it comes to spending my own money, exclusives are far and away the #1 factor. This is especially so since my PC could run any multiplatform title better than any console out there. True, I like playing on consoles a lot more (thanks to the convenience alluded to in the article), but investing $400 on a console isn't something I could justify if it weren't for exclusives. They're why I got my PS4 and why I remain a dedicated Nintendo fan. I generally don't have a lot of interest in the Xbox lineup, and this will only get worse if their big exclusives continue to hit PC as well.

Console only....

@WebHead Any word on when the official Sony app is coming out?

@BUDSclass201 not yet but I imagine it should be out before the year is over.

@MadAussieBloke I wouldn't be so sure about that.

It's not that it is a bad thing for pc players to now be able to play the game. That is good. What is wrong is how Microsoft touted QB as one of their biggest exclusives since the inception of the x1. The game is using dx12 on pc, so they have obviously known for quite a while tat it would also be a pc release. Why hide this? Why let people believe that they had to own am X1 to play this game? One simple reason, to drive sales and mislead customers. I can never agree with corporations willingly deceiving their own user base. Also, someone needs to go over to Dualshockers and explain this to Nelva. The guy has literally lost it, exclaiming this is a non issue in all cases, even for those that were negatively effected.

@Gamer83 I don't think anyone is upset that more people get to play it. What is upsetting is that they deceived gamers into believing they had to own an X1 to play the game. Some people already had a capable pc and purchased a X1 off the assumption they needed it to play QB, now they know they didn't have to spend that money to play it.

Becoz of this many awesome games like until dawn will not be available on pc.... And the new app that comes in pc for playing playstation games will only allow users to play games online... Like netfilx for games

_{Watch the language -Tasuki-}