On PS5, Exclusive Games Will Be More Important than Ever Before, Says Sony

It’s the main reason we are all here,
PlayStation exclusives and their AAA
studios and games.
We are just about to play last of us 2 and in July GHOST of T. What more can we say.

I'm still very impressed that they showed NINE freakin' exclusives in their reveal event for the PS5. They showed more first-party exclusives at this one event than PS4 exclusives at the 2013 reveal event and the following E3 COMBINED.

It's very clear that Sony isn't messing around.

Thats why i have a Playstation.

I hope they will continue on buying more studios. Insomniac proved how valuable they're in this upcoming generation. Sony should acquire Bluepoint, Kojima Productions, Ready at Dawn and Gen Design at some point in the future.

Their first-party games are the reason I own a PlayStation, just as Nintendo's stuff is the reason people buy theirs. If I could get them all on PC as well, I wouldn't bother with the hardware... which is the situation I currently find myself in with Microsoft.

Makes sense. Third party cross-console games likely won't be utilizing the full capabilities of PS5, at least not at first. But those that are working exclusively with Playstation can really dig in and take advantage of all the new bells and whistles. We're headed towards that Playstation promised land, baby!

I'll write the dissent and say that I don't like this approach. On paper exclusives are great for the company. It forces customers into your ecosystem in order to buy these products so they can get a portion of revenue from the other games you buy, but the numbers don't add up on making this the "end all" way to get customers. Spider Man is Sony's top exclusive with over 16 million sold. The active PSN total is 103 million. The vast majority of your customers chose you for reasons outside of specific games.

If you want proof just look at Microsoft. Halo is their flagship franchise but people didn't stick with them when the Xbox One came out. They left because the price stunk, the hardware was arguable lower than the PS4, and the company lost the goodwill of its customers. Even after all of this Halo 5 made $400 million in the first week and sold roughly the same number as the rest of the franchise. Hardcore fans enjoy exclusives but the bread and butter don't care. All that is going to come out of this is more studios are going to be taken in by Google, PlayStation, and Microsoft forcing you to miss out on games unless you dish out serious dough to buy their hardware.

Anything coming out on PC especially has to cater to a certain lowest common denominator - to a lesser degree true for games releasing on xbox too. That lowest common denominator will re-introduce those restrictions like gap-squeezing and level design limitations that Sony has worked so hard to eliminate.

That's great and all, hopefully though they stop with the timed exclusive stuff. It takes away money that could have been used to make new IPs or expand on actual exclusives and instead give PS owners something that everyone will get eventually, potentially with something extra to spice up the deal.

The issue that Microsoft has is that thier exclusives are always on PC aswel. While consoles are the cheaper option most people tend to have a PC and console and will buy the product on PC for various reasons. Off the top of my head I cant think of a new IP that Xbox has had that was a runaway success this gen. Its always Halo, Gears, Forza. All of which are on PC now. Ive always been with PlayStation since exclusives like The Getaway were around and il be sticking to them this gen

@RedShirtRod You said if to look there if you wanted proof at MS but MS has done a terrible job with exclusives this gen. They haven't had a single great game (maybe Forza if you wanted to push) for exclusives. Halo was also botched this gen and they not only did a terrible job with Halo 5, but also lied about it. MS is proof that exclusives matter as they didn't recover and or half-way mimic the success of the PS4 and didn't have any to go on. Halo 5 was bought by people who loved Halo, but it didn't bring in any fans and brought more negative press to the console. It destroyed trust and goodwill with all those sales. Most of the problems you mentioned were at the start of the gen and exclusives became the main issue later. PS3 is also an example of recovering with great exclusives.

Although I agree, Sony have been losing exclusivity on a load of titles over the years. Some, if not all, of their first party is heavily rumoured to be going to pc (obviously Horizon is already confirmed as doing so). Don't get me wrong, Sony do what Sony do - and do it damn well, but they can't say they're really pushing for exclusives if they are diluting that pool.

If they are as important as you say they are why is there so much talk of so many of them going to PC? 🤔 Isn't Horizon going to PC as well? You're saying one thing and doing the other 😒

If it’s exclusive, I’ll buy it on PS5. If it’s not, I’ll buy it on PS5 or PC. I think more games should come to PC and be console exclusive on one of the two. It won’t hurt sales too much since there’s a different crowd on PC and consoles.

Make all the damage control you want, but keep exclusive IP is important. It's probably the main reason 90% of people here has a PS4 and not a XB or a gaming PC.

That's why i find really hypocrite when people, sites or Sony itself trivialize 1º party games coming to PC.

In which case please start tying up the third party exclusives - particularly from Japana that set you apart. The Yakuza's, the Persona's, the Falcom games. Beyond the first party, this stuff remains very important at differentiating playstation from the competition

I have always loved the major playstation exclusives. Can't wait for the future.

@Juanalf i still think Horizon going to pc is a savvy marketing move. Realistically it's not going to sell many more copies on PS4, but with a sequel on the way, pc gamers might check out the first game and decide that they want to invest in a playstation 5 to play the sequel

@Jaz007 I get where you're coming from and looking at it in a vacuum I would agree with you. This issue I have with your response is the Xbox One had already gained negative press. We don't know how many consoles Microsoft has sold this gen but if the estimates are to be believed there are roughly 40-50 million of them right now. That means when Halo 5 came out when there were less Xbox Ones than there were Xbox 360s when Halo 4 came out. It made $100 million more in its first week than Halo 4 did and Halo 4 was in the 360's prime. I can't see any other conclusion to those numbers that the core fans of Halo stayed with Xbox, and the moderates left.

My point isn't that exclusives are completely worthless. It's that there is no evidence that I have seen that shows a shift in gaming trends based off of them. I'm happy to be proven wrong but the numbers show that the PS3 gain market because it's a global company and Xbox isn't as much. People outside of the 360's core area didn't switch to 360, they just waited for the PS3. The games didn't save the company. Call of Duty, FIFA, GTAV. These are games that help keep PlayStation thriving. Putting more effort into exclusives isn't how you make the PS5 better.

I agree, exclusives are more important than ever. The XSX will be likely to run multi-platform games much soothed. Features like faster SSD and controller special feature are very likely to be ignored on multi-platform games. We might get a faster load screen here and there, but there won’t be anything like Rift Apart on multi-platform games unless it’s also possible on both, the XSX and affordable PC SSDs.

Platorm loyalists aside, the PS5 will need a very robust and steady stream of exclusives. After playing nearly exclusively on the PS4, next gen I’m going to play all my multi platform games on a XSX, personally. The Sony needs to offer me plenty of reasons to buy a PS5, and as much as I want to play as Miles Morales, a single game is not going to do the trick.

@I_Like_It Yeah makes me glad I already own a PC so I can play their exclusives and only have to buy the PS5.

@RedShirtRod “ If you want proof just look at Microsoft. Halo is their flagship franchise but people didn't stick with them when the Xbox One came out. They left because the price stunk, the hardware was arguable lower than the PS4, and the company lost the goodwill of its customers.”

I think a full thesis could be written on how Microsoft botched the XBox One launch, and alienated many loyal fans for over half a decade.

It’s like... they figure out every possible thing that could be done wrong and said “let’s do all of that!” But yes, imagine had they launched without a Halo game at all. It’s likely the XBox would had not survived to get a new CEO.

@RayNick yea, time exclusive titles (along with console exclusive content or time exclusive DLC) is total [bleep].

I understand things like, let’s say, exclusive characters in a fighting game (Kratos/Master Chief/Link as console exclusive fighters in a Soul Calibur, for instance.) That type of exclusive content can be actually quite cool, IMO.

@3MonthBeef case in point: Batman Arkham Knight was a buggy mess for tons of PC players.

I only play on PC if I’m playing an MMO that requires keyboard heady communication. Maybe RTS, or games like Tropico I would prefer on PC too. Other than that, I detest sitting on my desk to play games.

The trouble shooting alone is usually not worth the trouble, but the comfort of the couch, big TV and a wireless gamepad just can’t be beaten by any PC, imo.

@Rob_230 I completely agree Sony letting horizon go to pc after they announce a sequel could sway pc gamers who enjoy it to get a ps5

Give me a resistance remastered and sly cooper 5.word up son

If this means Sony understood "exclusives" means "first-party investments" and not "third-party deals", more power to the Blue Gaming Giant.

I bought my first console (ps2) because of final fantasy X and psx compatibility to play older final fantasy games. PS3 just because I had old pc and can play games on big screen of tv, than it changed to laziness of installing pc games, checking minimum requirements of my pc, and constant solving problems (directx, newer windows, insufficient RAM etc.). PS4 just because Assassin's Creed series. I think that Playstation gives me more exclusives, than other systems. I rather discover games by myself, than read reviews. I don't care if game is exclusive or not. If it is on playstation, I play it. I'm not big fan of indies, except for point and click adventures, puzzle or seek and find games, whose makes me fun distraction from big games.

@Glimpse But this is not looking like a one off. If PlayStation exclusives will eventually hit the PC at some point wouldn't that just make them glorified time exclusives?

We will never see news about Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey going to PC or anywhere else. I want Sony to protect their IP's like Nintendo protects theirs.

Exclusives are key. I'll always buy a Nintendo console for their system-sellers and same for Playstation.
On the XBox side I used to like Halo and Gears but after a number of sequels just grew bored of them and more interested in new mulitplatform shooters.

The exclusives are my primary reason to have PlayStation instead of XBox

@RBMango If you bothered to look properly, most of the 'exclusives' shown had a line at the bottom of the screen saying they were going to be on PC and were console exclusive for a limited time

Exclusives will always be a console's main selling point. If it were on PC there wouldn't be a point in buying a console. It's all about the games

Hopefully they actually have some variety.

@seari84 Right.... Actually, I did bother to look properly. Those nine exclusives I'm talking about are first-party games from Sony that are only coming to the PS5: Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Gran Turismo 7, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, Sackboy, Destruction AllStars, Astro's Playroom, Demon's Souls, and Horizon: Forbidden West.

If that was comment wasn't a mistake and meant for me, maybe take your own advice before making a snarky little comment next time.

@Glimpse So with your logic if Nintendo released Super Smash Bros Ultimate on PC then they will want get a Switch for the next Smash bros? Or how about they release Breath of the Wild on PS5 so that PS5 owners will then want to get a Switch for the Next Zelda?!

Good, keep the exclusive coming please 😁

In the last year of ps4 I think I'm satisfied only playing playstation exclusive, now nearly finishing ff7 remake, after that playing tlou 2 on fridays, since big games usually last me about a month, I think I'm done right when ghost tsushima launch. After finishing ghost I'll play one of my backlog until ps5 comes 😃

Glad to hear. It's what got me to switch over from XBOX to PlayStation. I'm super excited for not only The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima, but all of the new exclusives coming out for the PS5 as well!

Then start getting smart. When you have Ratchet and Clank next gen you decide to make sackboy and astrobot.
Sackboy<Wipeout

You had Sumo, developers of great kart racers and you have them make a platformer.

Astrobot<Ape escape
You waste developers on a game no one asked for when you could bring a new iteration of an innovative game fans have been clamoring for. Great oportunity to showcase controller features.

Bad decisions Sony!

Games are the most important aspect of a video game console. Shocking that people have to point that out.

I don't buy a game to admire how powerful a console is, I buy a game because the game looks fun and interesting. You could release the most powerful console imaginable and give it away for dirt cheap, but if it had no interesting games, I'd not waste my time.

@nookie_egg

I don't think porting HZD to PC 3 years after its release is "diluting the pool" and ruining PS exclusives. If anything, it's more money for Sony/Guerilla and seems like a marketing move to build hype for HZD2.

@Heavyarms55

Try explaining this to the people who believe the 12 TFLOPS GPU power of the XSX is God's (err...Phil Spencer) gift to mankind.

I cant believe some people still dont understand it's a good thing and pro consumers. When you buy a product they focus on developing content for this product and not wasting resources on others.

@Danny_Blu I'm not taking sides in that debate. I have the same complaint for both the Sony and MS fanboys right now. Everywhere I look the only thing people are talking about are specs.

Almost no one is talking about the games themselves. I'm even seeing people say things like "this game is made to show off what the system is capable of" and that just makes me so sad.

I don't buy a game to admire how powerful the system is.

Yes...I'd love to see some of their franchises make a nice return too. Buzz (with the buzzers, not phones), Sing Star (with the microphones, not phones), Twisted Metal, Jak And Daxter (or at least a nice collection with all including the PSP titles), Dark Cloud, Mark Of Kri, Patapon (a new one), Parappa The Rapper and...what I would really love to see...a brand new Loco Roco.

so glad to hear them talking like this👍👍

@JJ2 baffles me like they think fanboy when really it is what makes Playstation so great & why the consoles sell a lot.

I'm not a Nintendo fan but I was. Nintendo proved this concept works - software sells hardware. This plan is tried and tested. I'm so happy Sony has used this plan to sell their consoles over the generations and look forward to seeing what amazing games they can create for PS5. The consumer is the winner here.

The reason M$ is failing "even though I have a One X" is because they have failed miserably in the exclusives department. The X is a great console but PS4 destroys it when it comes to games.

Let's remember Sony have got really good at what they are doing, every generation is superior to the previous and the quality of their software is easily and if not better than Nintendo's. Amazing time to be a gamer.

@nookie_egg Sony said they will continue to focus on single platform. Now finally releasing PS4 ports to PC when ps5 is around the corner will push PC players to want a ps5 for exclusives

@Juanalf Pc gamers who might not see the need for a console especially one with a high price might be swayed to get a ps5 as well just my opinion. If Sony starts porting more exclusives to pc even after 3 years your right they would be glorified timed exclusives but i was only aware of hzd and a rumour of a dreams port

I had both 360 and ps3 when it came out. Glad to be team playstation all the way for the exclusives, but beyond that I didnt have to deal with the light of death on the ps3 (until very late) as i did on the multiple times on the early 360.

and of those mentioned: God of War, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Horizon Zero Dawn . I liked all except for HZD. so 75% is not bad looking forward to what PS5 delivers with that percentage

@RBMango My mistake, sorry about that

@Heavyarms55 The executives at Xbox are either that out of touch with the console market or these moves are strictly by design to turn the brand into a software as a service, which is what their parent company is and how they became a worldwide market leader. (Failing at almost everything else) I don't think there's much room for an argument in between at this point.

Xbox still brings in millions if it's eventually a SoaS and that may be the best business decision for MS. With only Sony and Nintendo in the market, that might leave an opening for another tech giant and I'm all for it.

@Tharsman It's astonishing what they did and continue to do with the brand and I agree for a division of a company this size, there could easily be college material based off their failures to use in business courses.

You're spot on - anything they could flub up they did. The Master Chief Collection could have been their last saving grace to salvage anything after everything else had failed, and even that was a rushed botched mess. Does it even work till this day?

I find myself following the console market more than playing lately because I find this stuff so interesting.

@olevet They have made one hell of a 180 (they really missing out on calling the next XBox the XBox One Eighty)

Master Chief Collection, from all I hear, was fixed, and now being slowly ported for PC too. At least in America, they managed to get to a point where they are only about 80% units behind PlayStation, and last year they managed to pull in 11.39 billion in revenue, way less than Sony's $18.72 billion, but more than Nintendo's 10.91 billion (and no one is arguing that Nintendo is doing extremely well.)

I honestly have my eyes on MS this gen, I dont expect them to win globally, but expect them to give Sony a good run, and we all benefit from a healthy competitor in the market.

I am with you, XBox Launch will be likely taught of one of the biggest failures in the industry in business courses, but their recovery might also make it.

@Tharsman I suppose anythings possible and I agree if they do gain back some market share the competition will only benefit the gamers.

Offering past exclusives (Halo? what?!) on PC at launch however seems like they have a one foot in one foot out approach and it remains to be seen how much that affects their console sales. Phil's sentiments about Google and Amazon being their main competitor seem to reflect a focus away from consoles and into game streaming and that's fine. But is that even relevant yet? If you do want your games on a variety of platforms, do they want to offer an alternative to Steam? That's a whole new area of competition Xbox would be gutsy to "compete" in..

It just seems like they don't really have a true focus of where they're going, at least to me.

@olevet It would be extremely interesting if another major company actually seriously tried to enter the game console area now. I really doubt that it is possible but I would still be extremely curious to see what they would do.