Horizon Zero Dawn PC

Xbox head Phil Spencer has thrown a quick bit of shade at Sony for holding off on bringing its formerly exclusive titles to PC until years after their original console release. After boasting of being the only company to ship titles across PC, consoles, and the cloud on the same day, Spencer said: "Others bring console games to PC years later, not only making people buy their hardware up front but then charging them a second time to play on PC."

It's important to remember the suit works for Microsoft, the very same company that quite literally owns Windows. Of course the titles coming out of the US company are going to hit its own platforms at the same time. Sony doesn't have the same stakes in Microsoft Windows as, well, Microsoft.

But what of the remark against Sony? Is what Spencer is saying correct? Well, yes. It's factually correct. Sony brought Horizon Zero Dawn to the personal computer more than three years after its PlayStation 4 release while Days Gone took two years. Where the criticism falls flat, though, is when Spencer expands on the attack.

Sony has continuously stated that its PC efforts have always been about expanding the fanbase of its IPs, not a cynical cash grab to get the hardcore to double-dip on its titles. In a recent PlayStation Blog Q&A, Hermen Hulst touched on this very point when discussing Days Gone. "And I hope that a new set of fans can and will enjoy that title. And that’s the goal — we want to reach new gamers who haven’t yet experienced the great stories, characters, and worlds that we’ve built."

Sony never, ever intended for its current PS5 and PS4 audience to suddenly build a gaming PC and replay Horizon Zero Dawn on maximum settings. The initiative is about giving those who don't own a Sony console the chance to play one of the Japanese giant's titles, and then potentially convince them to pick up a PS5. Phil Spencer's comments are factually correct, but his reasoning is off-base.

Still, what do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

[source twitter.com]