PlayStation appears to be retreating from its PC strategy, at least for single-player games. Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that PlayStation was stepping back from releasing future first-party titles on PC, but the specifics were unclear. For instance, Housemarque, the developer of Saros, dodged questions about a PC release in a recent Game Informer interview. Now, the situation seems more definitive: Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported that during a company town hall this week, PlayStation studio business CEO Hermen Hulst confirmed that first-party narrative-driven single-player games will now be console exclusives for PlayStation.
This means you shouldn't expect Ghost of Yotei, Saros, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, or Marvel's Wolverine to hit PC. If you want to play these titles, you'll need a PS5. Interestingly, Hulst specifically singled out single-player games, suggesting that multiplayer-focused titles like the upcoming Fairgames may still come to PC—a smart move given Helldivers 2's massive success on the platform.
This news follows about six years of PlayStation bringing major games to PC, including the God of War reboots, Marvel's Spider-Man titles, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us series. These ports typically arrived months or years after the console release, serving as a way to generate extra revenue from PC gamers who hadn't bought a PlayStation. There was even hope that creating new fans on PC might encourage them to buy a PS5 for sequels.
However, the strategy may not have been as successful as hoped. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 peaked at just 28,117 concurrent players on Steam—a low number for one of PlayStation's biggest games featuring an iconic character—while Helldivers 2 reached 458,208 concurrents. Helldivers 2 also benefited from a simultaneous launch with the PS5 version, unlike most single-player titles.
Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida recently questioned the pullback from PC, noting that the extra revenue from PC releases after a couple of years helped recoup investments and fund new games. He added, "If they were releasing new AAA games day one on other platforms, I don’t think that’s a good strategy for a platform holder like PlayStation. But if they are changing, it's going to be interesting how they maintain investment in big-budget first-party games."
Similarly, Xbox is reportedly reassessing its exclusivity approach. While PC has long been part of the Xbox ecosystem, many wonder if Xbox will continue bringing games to PS5 under new boss Asha Sharma. Currently, games like Fable and Forza Horizon 6 are confirmed for PS5, with Fable expected to launch simultaneously on Xbox and PlayStation.
