Horizon: Zero Dawn has just been confirmed for a PC release this summer, and it's the kind of announcement that has some PlayStation fans worried that the company is slowly abandoning its own systems. After all, the PS4's runaway success can be attributed, at least in part, to its lineup of stellar first-party exclusives, like Uncharted 4, God of War, and the aforementioned Horizon -- great games that you simply can't play anywhere else.
But with Horizon heading to PC, does this mean that every PlayStation exclusive is up for grabs? Is this Sony's new strategy? Not necessarily, according to Head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios Hermen Hulst.
"And to maybe put a few minds at ease, releasing one first-party AAA title to PC doesn’t necessarily mean that every game now will come to PC," Hulst states in a new interview. "In my mind, Horizon Zero Dawn was just a great fit in this particular instance. We don’t have plans for day and date [PC releases], and we remain 100% committed to dedicated hardware."
It's a quote that may coax a sigh of relief from some fans, but there's still no denying that Sony is open to making its games more accessible. Indeed, we've already seen the firm branch out with PlayStation Now, which allows subscribers to stream PS4 and PS3 exclusives on PC and other devices.
But for now, you obviously don't have to worry about PlayStation ditching PlayStation.
[source blog.us.playstation.com]
Comments (98)
Rob right now after playing the media game, so so beautifully.
Just PR talk. You can bet every single Playstation "exclusive" to be on PC. RIP Playstation. I predicted that a while ago but got bashed on this very site.
i think it could be a good thing for Sony you know like...
"Hey P.C gamers, look at this amazing game and if you want more like it then you can play more like it on PS4/PS5"
could actually increase console sales
With the exception of Dreams I hope Sony leave it at that.
Death Stranding uses the Decima Engine and is ported to PC.
Horizon Zero Dawn uses the Decima Engine and is ported to PC.
Coincidence?!
Is Until Dawn next?!
You decide.
@JAMes-BroWWWn That's quite some leap based on the information we have available.
Well I prefer they use all that time and energy for PlayStation and stop confusing people?
Sony isn't stupid enough to put all of their hardware-driving exclusives on PC. And the ones that do appear will probably be after a period of exclusivity.
Ultimately, though, when all is said and done, PC is going to be the ultimate next-gen platform, given it has 100% support from Microsoft and, depending on how well Horizon does, partial support from Playstation. HZD and GamePass on the same platform. Hallelujah!
I think this conversion is honestly more a resultant of Death Stranding...after all Kojima used GG's Decima engine & had their assistance. So with the PC conversion of that being a factor it probably made some financial sense for Sony to convert HZD whilst they were at it...& I'm sure we'll see gfx wizardry for HZD 2 on the likes of ps5 that'll make this look old anyways!!
@JJ2 i don't see how it's confusing though, The Console and P.C market are different and don't really compete with each other, people who like gaming on a console will buy a console even if some of the games go to P.C same as people who like gaming on P.C will game on a P.C even if the games are on a console
in this regards it's all about HOW you like to play your games
Call me crazy but i feel like shawn layden left sony as disagreements with where sony is going.and i feel like that was part of it.like sony exclusive going to pc .word up son
@get2sammyb Of course, it's been prediction. But so far everything is pointing to it. Journey came to PC and some other smaller titles. Death Stranding was announced for it and only 6 months after its release on Playstation. And the Predator game is day one on Playstation and PC. Plus PC gamers don't even have to pay the Plus membership for playing a Sony published game. Now it's HZD. Everything's pointing to exactly my years old prediction.
@FullbringIchigo exactly what I was thinking or at the very least just make a bit of extra cash long after the console sales have dried up
Words are easy. My love is now deteriorating.
It will get annoying when every new ps exclusive will be followed with "when it comes out on pc" though
In the end, I don't think pc number is relevant since most of AAA titles sells better on console, so playstation get a little money for their exclusive games with the chance of some gamer just abandoning their hardware and wait for ps exclusive on pc, which will be cheaper on steam and don't need psplus for online.
Yeah, no. I don't believe this. Especially considering the whole comment about "We don’t have plans for day and date [PC releases], and we remain 100% committed to dedicated hardware."
So that implies that PC releases are being considered even if they are not at the same date as release on PS4/PS5. Not a definite of course, but forgive my scepticism.
I’m sure they look at the lifespan of an exclusive and decide where the cutoff is—where does it stop driving system sales? At that point it makes sense, from a business perspective, to add to the potential player base and make additional money off of existing games.
I’m honestly fine with this. The games are still exclusive for a couple of years, and I’m sure they’ll have some franchises that stay firmly within the PS family of consoles.
@GamingFan4Lyf Thing Is Killzone Would Have Made More Since Then Horizon Considering it's Game with multiplayer
@Ralizah All it's missing now is Big N's Support
I can understand the desire to expand the market and player base, but it is a bit off putting. I’ll still use consoles as that is my preferred method, but making console exclusives no longer exclusive could have a detrimental impact on hardware sales...
Speaking of...he comes out to speak on Horizon going to PC without a hint as to when we might learn more about the PS5? The Ides of March are nearly upon us, and nothing!
Make more money. PC isnt competition for Playstation. There are a lot less people buying a 1.5-2k rig than a 400$ dedicated console. Get the software sales. Make even better Playstation exclusives. How old is Horizon? 2, 3 years? Everyone making mountains out of molehills. This isnt same day parody like MS. Hell you can play MS studio games on a switch for crying out loud
@Areus Maybe, but I feel like Killzone wouldn't be as much of a standout game on a platform that is absolutely saturated with multi-player shooters.
>Hey, not all PS games will come to PC
>Hey, mostly all PS games will come to PC
>Hey, all PS games will eventually come to PC after a year of console release.
>Hey, we are XB now, simultaneous day-1 PS5/PC releases of all our games.
This is the beginning of the end of the PlayStation brand, I just feel sorry for the new generation that won't be able to experience the magic that was a game console with amazing exclusive games and full third party support
horizon was a "great fit" how exactly? lol... nonsense. sony will lose revenue on its games now due to pc piracy. that is a fact. but hopefully sony isn't stupid enough to release upcoming pc ports too close to the initial console release.
@JAMes-BroWWWn it's no wonder shawn layden left sony not too long ago. he must have butt heads with jim ryan on this very issue.
I simply don't care. I bought a PS4 because it has lots of great games. I prefer a dedicated video game console as I have no interest in playing video games on a PC and dealing with a PC.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the coming years and how Playstation sales are affected by the perceived lack of exclusivity with their so-called exclusive titles.
Very interesting. Curious to see what games Sony plans on releasing on PC in the future.
That and what the PC community can do with mods. As usual.
People say "Sony will make more money", are you so sure about that? A huge amount of PC gamers are pirates who don't pay for games.
Every single person I know who still game via PC pirate everything.
In the end it costs to port and they likely won't make that much money back from those 'people'.
Before anyone calls me a fanboy btw I used to be a PC gamer in my younger years through college. I know how this game goes.
@JAMes-BroWWWn
Agreed. This is basically the 'we don't comment on rumors and speculation' nonsense that companies give when things are spiraling out of control. From the business side of things, just like with Xbox, I actually think it makes sense to do this. More people with a chance to buy Sony published games means more money for Sony, but it make owning a PlayStation console less essential, there's no denying that. And with MLB The Show set for Xbox and possibly Nintendo systems starting next year, who knows where the brand will go? Hulst and others can say 'we're dedicated to PlayStation hardware' all they want, but Sega was also committed to hardware until it wasn't. If 'PlayStation' games are showing up on non PlayStation consoles what is the point of staying in the hardware market?
@Areus I just can't see Nintendo ever putting its first-party games on any other platforms. Third party exclusives like Astral Chain will probably eventually go to PC, though.
@FullbringIchigo
The flipside is 'why buy a PlayStation if its games eventually go elsewhere?' There's a lot of people out there who have enough patience to wait to play certain games on their preferred platform and it's not like Sony-published games are the only ones that exist. There's plenty of great titles to play during the wait.
@Ralizah I am assuming you mean "first-party games that release on Switch", since first-party games do exist on mobile.
@Ralizah Nintendo would never do this to it's exclusives, doesn't matter how much money they think they can get. They don't mess around with their IP's, when they want more money they just release a mtx filled time waster little side game based on their IP's to phones (which is what Sony should have done).
@Gamer83 They are diminishing PS as a platform just for a few more game sales. That's how you get to XB levels of irrelevance.
So after the new head of PlayStation joined, some games have become available for PC, that's weird. Also expect some more to be released.
@Gamer83 and you hit it there "preferred platforms"
people are going to play on the platform they prefer to play on, at this point in time if you prefer a console then you're going to buy a console regardless on if the games come out on P.C too
the PS4 sold over 100 million consoles do you really think ALL of them are just going to go a buy a P.C simply because a few games that were PS exclusive are coming out on it?
and that's what i was getting on at, the P.C is a completely different market to the console market, they appeal to different kinds of people, some gamers like to have all the latest tech, sit in a gaming chair surrounded by monitors and have ultra HD, 60fps gaming
and others like to lounge of the sofa with a controller in their hand playing on the TV
that's not going to change because a few exclusives are no longer Console exclusive if that was the case then console gaming would never have got past the PS1 generation
It doesn't affect me one bit, but I don't think it's a good idea. Guess we'll see.
@makina
4 consoles in PlayStation has never sold under 80 mil, of course its exclusives have never gone to PC either, so we'll see how this effects things. I don't know if it will ever drop to where it sells Xbox levels but no doubt it devalues the PS5 and any PlayStation consoles that follow. It'll be interesting to see to what extent.
@Gamer83 Another Reason Why This Bothers People Is Sony Broke Their Silence Just To Talk About This Rather Then The PS5
To all the salty people here does this actually impact you? If you're that desperate to play Horizon 2 on PS5 and Horizon on PS4 then do that, them being on PC doesn't change things except give Sony more money and get more people buying a PS5 because they can't wait until the end of next gen to play Horizon 2. I'm a console gamer and always will be so i shell be sticking with the consoles of these games.
@FullbringIchigo
Not really. It is the way you describe for some people. A lot of people buy a console because of its exclusives though. I'm sure you know but maybe didnt think of it right now?.
@Areus
Wasn't my first concern, but yeah, after it was brought up, this is pretty crappy. Again, I don't expect here to agree, but MS has been a million times better on the communication than PlayStation has, especially since that fool Jim Ryan (who has said many stupid things about gaming in the past) really dug his claws into the leadership position.
@JJ2 yeah exclusives sell systems, i'm not denying that but if you're a console gamer then going to P.C isn't an issue because as a console gamer you're going to buy the console anyway, now if it went to other consoles like the XBOX that's when it becomes an issue
but it's not going to kill consoles like people are saying, like i said this kind of thing has been going on for decades and it hasn't killed consoles yet
@FullbringIchigo
So if you fancy gaming on pc but hesitate because of exclusives it's not an issue? It is confusing and if xbox example spreads it's the death of console gaming ultimately Im sorry to say
This has both positive and negative effect on the market, however I am willing to think they are sort of shooting their own leg in long run.
Yes, bigger audience reach = more income = more to spend on new games, but I highly doubt the PC sales will make up for the sales they will start losing on both hardware and exclusivity sales which were doing so well during this generation.
You have to understand that Sony and Nintendo are two companies who have probably one of the most loyal and dedicated fanboys, but most of them will see this move as stab in the back and death of consoles. All the reactions on the internet of videos of consoles getting smashed and crying people are just confirming it.
Sony losing on hardware sale also means losing on PS+ subscription and possible PS Now sub as well. That's a really bold and risky move. I hope for the best for the company, but even myself I probably postpone purchases of Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us 2. And I usually buy exclusives on day one, but it is part because now that they are sort of moving to PC market and PS5 uncertainty, I rather wait for PS5 to come out and get those games there.
@FullbringIchigo
You dont see how that could kill console gaming if generalised like xbox? In not saying that's the case but its confusing for some people atm
@JJ2 I agree with you. Microsoft already gave up on consoles and is now focused on PC market mainly, while only 2 players in the console area left are Nintendo and Sony. Both are Japanese. The difference of them is that Nintendo already survived through what was suppose to be end for them - Mobile phones. Sony however is more fragile to lose their empire. Stadia may not be the killer, but Gforce Now is rather amazing service and is being praised. I can totally see Nvidia being the nail in the coffin in long run.
@JJ2 the thing is this isn't anything new, it's been happening for decades
for example take the PS1 and one of it's biggest game FINAL FANTASY VII, that released on PS1 as an exclusive and PUBLISHED by Sony Interactive in 1997 and then on P.C in 1998
console exclusive games have been releasing on P.C for years so i don't understand why this is such a issue for people, especially with a game that's already over 3 years old and probably already reached it's console sale limit
and that goes back to my older comment, people will play on the platform they like to play on and while Exclusives do drive sales it's not the only driving point and you can guarantee if this does end up negatively affect console sales Sony will just stop doing it
for now this is test bed release nothing more
Well this (AGAIN) somewhat makes me feel like an fool after being a 20+ years Playstation user/costumer and viewing SONY-s waving their ''Only on Playstation'' flag in front of everyone. Let me explain how i view things.
First the good news, more people will get to play the game and Sony will get a short boost to the profits.
Now lets take a look at the potential bad news.First i don’t trust this will be the last first-party-studio exclusive coming to PC, despite Mr. Hulst statements. There have been numerous sources already stating that (for example Dreams).
And no this will certainly not make PC folk buy a PS5, especially cuz waiting 2-3 years is nothing when you have hundreds of other games.
I can say with confidence, that they will start losing a certain ammount of Playstation costumers (possibly myself included), and they will start losing trust from Playstation costumers that are sticking to the platform.
Long term, i see this as a negative to the Playstation and console-gaming in general....
Yes, it's a common sense statement. Sony is only going to port games to PC if and when it suits them. The PlayStation consoles will still be their primary focus.
@JAMes-BroWWWn same for me cancelled 3 pre orders see them whenever they hit the 5 or 10 dollar bin.
He already lied about hzd being a test.
Journey recently has been added jus like heavy rain and beyond two souls.
I expect this to be the doing of tencent investing with epic games they probably offered sony 5 or 6 billion dollars to release their games.
I bought my PS4 in 2013. I played HZD 3 years ago.
My PS4 in 2020 is so I can play Nioh2 next week. And Sakura Wars the month after that. TLOU2 the month after that and Ghost Of Tsushima after that.
Do any of that on day 1 on PC and you have a sale. A 3 year old game I already played and can buy for $14 on PS4 does not mean anything to me (and I own a PC)
@playstation1995 I have a feeling he was the one who started all this & I hope Sony does not lose the plot MS had to make all the PC moves because Xbox was not selling & they have PC anyway. Sony does NOT need to do this right now I think Shawn Laydon & The Cory Barlogs at Sony have been pushing for it.
@FullbringIchigo
What I'm saying ( apart from diverting the focus from PS development) is its confusing people. If you think people are well informed your mistaken. I have friends who believed Destiny was PS exclusive in 2013 haha
Yea, thats a load of crap, if you are willing to release such a big game like HZD you will release every other single game, Sony have lost the plot, moving to pc now.
@JJ2 yes it is confusing, they definitely have to be better with their communication
@Areus Nailed it, people have been waiting for PS5 news and now they drop this news lol
Utter stupidity.
Can't wait to pirate all those playstation games on pc, can dump psplus now as well, free online.
Pc Masterrace baby!
@Porco Yup, I think shawn layden want multiplayer only games come to pc but single player games stays on ps platform, which I think is the better solutions btw.
@Juanalf Yeah, this is a great strategy for nintendo, rather than releasing mario kart 8 on pc which will sells okay but will be pirated to kingdom come, they just released mario kart tour in ios + android and receive millions of dollars on mtx alone. Switch user won't have problem with it because they have the superior version, nintendo still got money on others platform without angering their loyal fans.
How can you be so hypocrite... He says that they are 100% committed to exclusive, and in the same interview announces that one of their biggest exclusive games goes multiplatform. Lier.
Pushsquare staff, I think it would be great time for another poll, just to show how many will not be buying a ps5 now.
It's literally 3 years later after launch, I honestly don't see the big deal. It doesn't take away from your experience whatsoever nor does it mean that every PlayStation exclusive will release on PC at some point. It is more of a marketing for the platform holder, get PC gamers onboard. Cause we all know where you're going to be able to play HZD2, and that's a PS5 and PS5 only. Even if it comes out on PC some years later, those who really wanted to play it, already did. If you're fine waiting 3+ years for games to come out on your platform, then hats off, you're the most patient person in the world or had no interest in it to begin with.
I really don't think people get it, yes this game is 3 years after launch but its just the beginning and sony have crossed that line.
They even said not all games will come to pc (for now) which means there are more planned to come.
It starts will three years, then 2, then 1, then day date, it will be slowly so all the fanboys will be come accustomed to it and accept it, just look at xbox.
Its the end but I am glad to be moving the pc master race.
100% committed minus porting to PC
I'm not arsed. I'll still be buying and playing games on consoles.
"And to maybe put a few minds at ease, releasing one first-party AAA title to PC doesn’t necessarily mean that every game now will come to PC" — and this comment doesn't necessarily mean they won't, it just sounds like a vague platitude. the PS brand is really missing andrew house, imo.
fanboys are S A L T Y
@David187. Hahaha true that.word up son
@David187 well, 109 millions to 41 millions should speak it itself, but management is a hard thing like we are seing.
@snakemake I will be a Playstation gamer always but I think Sony is making moves they do not need to & I think a lot of let's all play together attitudes are taking over at Playstation & it needs to stop! competition is a good thing.
So I think predictably there are two extreme feelings. Virtue signalling guys saying its wonderful and hardcore fans saying it's a disaster.
It's of course in the middle that the reality is. Bad move from Sony but not necessarily too damaging.
@playstation1995 might be wrong but I get the feeling Shawn was like that & Cory Barlog definitely is imo.
@David187. Im not for this.because now pc fans will say oh now we got horizon .we will wait for horizon 2.and they going to think god of war.uncharted 4.spiderman will come to pc also.word up son
@playstation1995
Indeed. You know what? That's ps4 and now Sony needs to come swinging with ps5 exclusives in a nice reveal event. We then all leave the ps4 noise behind.
Dear Phill Spencer, thanks for ruining consoles. &*$! you.
Shawn Layden was right on pulling out from the ship.
@Shepard93n7 I reckon its the reason why Shaun got the sack, he was against games going to pc and they gave him the boot.
This is merely Sony talking out both sides of their mouth. The bean counters know that it's far cheaper to be software only but they also don't want to Osborne the PS5 when it's already coming down the pipe.
So they'll say just how committed they are to hardware whilst acclimating us to having Sony's system sellers come to PC. I had every intention of buying a PS5 but there's no point when I can just play the games 6 or 12 months later with better graphics, higher framerate, and mod support.
@JJ2. Yep i agree.ps5 announcement needs to come right away.word up son
@CmShepard or maybe shawn had some foresight and realized sony was driving off a cliff. shawn resigned on his own terms — he was not fired.
@rockman29 Longevity and sales could be achieved via consistency of the platform and with the backwards compatibility of the future hardware. The brand of the "ecosystem" is an inportant thing, you don't see Valve (Steam) selling even their older games like Half-Life or Portal on Epic Games Store and GOG. Hell, Valve has released zero of their first party titles for PS4 while they still could earn some easy bucks here.
@Gamer83 What a stupid thing too bring Sega into it they went down so if they didnt do that there would be no more Sega.
@JoeBlogs Yeah i dont understand the big issue HZD is dirtcheap now on PS4 the sales will be mostly finished on the platform plus you can ask €50 now.
Look for the people saying now i dont need a PS5 good luck i dont own a PC i want a really cheap laptop for mostly surfing and looking up some stuff. Maybe for some typing once every how long. 😆
I've seen many tweets that apparently ps gamers should be dancing in the streets to celebrate their PC 'friends' can play ps games otherwise they are selfish. Its 1984 level of ridiculous brain washing and self righteousness haha
Phil Spencer also said this back in 2016 about Xbox Games Studios releases. Currently they are now all being released day and date....
A while ago this would have been a non issue , but with gaming pcs having hdmi outs most controllers work with pcs it’s not even difficult to have a pc under you entertainment centre. Sony exclusives being timed to their hardware but seeing later releases on pc does point to worrying times , I’m not gonna deny it
@JJ2 What, we should be happy that the 'Master Race' get to play and bastardise a beloved PS exclusive?
Hmm, interesting.
Where are all the great PC exclusives? Do they have any? They'll turn the robots in HZD into Thomas the Tank or something and put Aloy in a bikini.
Well played Sony, well played indeed.
☹️
@Col_McCafferty Normally the first mods are always nude ones, Alloy naked mod will happening for sure.
Devil May Cry 5, Resident Evil 2 for recent examples.
Lets see Sony try and censor their games on PC lol
@Flaming_Kaiser
No sh*t, the point is they were doing all the PR talk as well. Just because Hermen Hulst says 'we're committed to dedicated hardware' doesn't mean I'm going to believe it, especially when they're doing dumb stuff like taking their first party games elsewhere.
@Unffclcntrllerpd
And MLB The Show not just branching out to PC but Xbox and possibly Nintendo hardware as well...
Uff, most people here missed the point... NO OTHER PS4 exclusives will be published for PC. They clearly said that this a gift to PC gamers just to see what experience they are missing with PS4, and to warm them up for PS5. That is their statement so other games will NEVER be published for PC. Except in cases like this if they need to promote their ecosystem.
@Gamer83 yeah I love MLB makes you wonder why the other two didn’t have a go at it ? ESPN had a great series for a while guess it couldn’t have done that well
@Col_McCafferty
Aloy in a bikini?
I think your being nice not to offend anyone here haha
@playstation1995 yep I agree they have cheapened the brand as well.
@SaikoWaifu2003 Eh?!
They're my favourite type of game, big open world as well as story-driven games. It's what Sony excel at, they don't view every gamer as being under the age of 14. Which is nice and appreciated!
Play what you want to and I'll play what I want. Deal?!
@SaikoWaifu2003 I'm not reading all of that.
I asked 'do they have any?' but I was merely being rhetorical.
@JoeBlogs there are so many launchers on PC now, it’d make no difference to Sony if they launched their own. There would be no 30% cut losses, much like their current takings on the PS4 PS Store
@GADG3Tx87 I am a PC gamer and have never pirated nor intend to pirate a game I wish to support the developers who made a game I love your statement is completely false
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