The president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment want no part of the idea of a AAA game being released for PlayStation 5 and PC at the same time.
Jim Ryan talked about several things in an interview with Famitsu. He mentioned that there are some great exclusives in the pipeline (Final Fantasy XVI coming June 22, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 possibly in September, which Ryan said will be an uncompromising, “wonderful experience,” and Koei Tecmo’s Rise of the Ronin is coming next year). Then he pointed out that he intends to increase the number of PlayStation 5 exclusives by delaying PC ports, and we’ll have to wait up to 2-3 years for the conversions to be released!
“We also fully understand the importance of PS5 exclusive titles. As I mentioned earlier, PlayStation Studios’ main responsibility is to have people enjoy the game experience using the latest PS. We are increasing the number of PS5 exclusive titles and staggering the release of the PC version. I often have the opportunity to ask game fans for their opinions. When I ask them about the time lag, they say that selling the PC version two or three years after the release of the PS version is accepted favorably,” Ryan says.
First of all, who the hell did he ask? Secondly, last time Housemarque’s return took less than two years. Third, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst said in October that there would be at least a year between the console and PC versions. So what Ryan is saying suggests a policy change of sorts, and that means that he simply doesn’t think PC sales are adequate, so they’re delaying the port as a sort of punishment. If they don’t botch porting this way (a la The Last of Us Part I…), then maybe it’s okay.
According to Ryan, Ghost of Tsushima has already sold over 1 million copies in Japan, which means that Sucker Punch, a foreign studio, has won the hearts of gamers there (the game is set during the Mongol invasion). He also mentioned PlayStation VR2: “The PlayStation VR2 has just been launched, so it may be a little early to judge its popularity, but we are happy to see many positive reactions from users and the media. We will continue to push forward so that those who purchase the PSVR2 can enjoy it for a long time, and we can also secure profits.” So the price of the headset will not go down. According to Ryan, more than 40 games were released for it in the opening period, with many more to come in 2023 and beyond.
The PC comment is divisive from him, though. There he goes again (unfortunately, Ryan is “gifted” at that).
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