Logistically PlayStation is not even set up to produce a PC launcher, they have a CEO that focuses on 1st party games only and a CEO who focuses on hardware and 3rd party games only. Theres noone to oversee any kind of PC initiative other then simply porting games over which Herman Hulst already does. Who would be the PlayStation PC czar?
Sony plans include PC Launcher, Cross-Buy, Cross-Save/Progression with PC, PS Plus on Fire Stick, Roku and Smart TVs
- Thread starter Etifilio
- Start date
The thing is they were never going to course correct to begging with. A more methodical aproach to PC could at least end up benefiting console players. With their own launcher and crossbuy they migth finaly try again with native portables, with their own launcher they won't empowering Steam and giving Valve 30%.
What is missing from these plans are no more paid online on consoles and Denuvo on all single player releases. They should acquire Denuvo and use it to get more games into their own store, at least force PC players to pay for their games like PlayStation owners do.
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they won't abandon steam, they're even in gog now
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- Sony loses money on hardware
- PS+ is extremely high margin, especially with the cost increase and the reduction of premium content
- Decoupling PS+ and attracting a larger customer base that has mobile, smart TVs, computers allows people to subscribe and still buy games without Sony losing money on hardware
- PS+ is not GamePass
- PS+ on other devices does not take away from their console business
Sony's goal is probably to reach 100 million subscribers on PS+. They're only about half way there with console users. They'll look for growth opportunities elsewhere.
What would 100 million PS+ subscribers do for Sony? Even at the cheapest possible package which is essential at a yearly subscription rate, 80 dollars a year, that's 8 billion dollars a year. 8-10 billion in revenue on top of what they're already making in annually would transform their position in gaming and give them the cash flow needed to make significant investments in maintaining their market position.
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There is a pretty hard limit for Sony on hardware sales. And hardware is sold for a loss. It's not the ideal business model.
Sony is a small company compared to big tech.
Imagine if Netflix never got into streaming, Apple never created the iPod or the iPhone or the airpod, imagine if Microsoft never created a subscription model for Microsoft Office.
All of these companies changed drastically because they didn't stop evolving.
If PS fanboys had their way, Sony would get bullied out of the industry in 10 years as big tech swallows up all the major game publishers, leaving Sony with only 1st party games on declining hardware sales (again sold at a loss).
Another confident statement that is entirely devoid of fact.
Nishino is in charge of the platform business. He is in charge of PlayStation Network, Cloud Streaming, and the PC overlay.
What makes you think Sony who already has a storefront for selling PlayStation games can't put together a launcher against that backend?
This is where Sony buying FromSoftware/Kadokawa really helps them out in the near term and eventually buying T2, which helps them out in the long term.
Pulling their games from Steam will be difficult without more fire power.
Sony has to ask themselves how do they buy T2.
T2 has a market cap of 27.16 billion USD. With premium you're likely looking at, at least 41 billion dollars. They wouldn't need to buy T2 in all cash, but in order to not serious dilute Sony stock or take out a significant loan to finance some of the purchase, they're going to need at least 20-25 billion in cash.
How does SIE come up with 25 billion in cash? They need to create record profit as quickly as they can with as many avenues of business as they can.
Obviously T2 will increase in value, so the goal would be to buy them within 4-5 years. So how do you come up with at least 20 billion dollars in 5 years? That's 4 billion in surplus operating income per year...
The answer? GaaS, movies/tv, streaming, a PC launcher, a handheld system, mobile games. Buying Kadokawa and then putting Elden Ring 2 exclusively on PS5 and a Sony PC launcher, might accelerate that process, even if it moves you backwards initially.
Buying T2 would allow Sony to weather the storm of Big Tech.
Once they've made their money from Steam, they'll eventually leave them as well as other PC launchers. It's only a matter of time. They're only looking for margins right now.
Their own PC launcher not only allows them to not pay royalties to other launchers, it allows them to sell 3rd party software and get royalties from them.
You'll increasingly see Sony moneyhat big exclusives for their PC launcher.
Unless they make their games exclusive to the launcher on PC mine as well not even try.
I think you will see more side eyes by PS players when the Switch 2 releases. Really Nintendo bow down the console market in the high power “market” because they didn’t have 3rd party support & there ip weren’t as relevant as they are now.
Nintendo is sitting in a good position where they can really push PS out the market & push Xbox entirely if Nintendo pushes more higher power to lesson the gap between Nintendo console & PS/Xbox. If Nintendo can get COD, Battlefield, GTA6 on Switch 2 if its power is PS4 level or higher. There no reason for Nintendo to not have higher power now that Xbox & PS sit in the same position of no exclusivie really the only reason people would get PS/Xbox is for these 3rd party + 3rd party live service that don’t release on Switch because it’s lower power. Plus Nintendo has permanent exclusive.
I think if Switch 2 is PS4 power level or little higher you will continue seeing a decay in PS players as they migrate to Nintendo to get the same JRPG if not more JRPG due to Nintendo dominance in Japan + 3rd party support + getting permanent exclusive. Switch 2 & Steamdeck is looking like the perfect combo where back in the PS4 era it was PS & PC/Steam & maybe on the side Nintendo Switch. The problem w Nintendo is there online infrastructure which they sent out a email essay that people could give feedback regarding Nintendo infrastructure & online so even that might change further blurring the line of Nintendo & PS/Xbox
Power will matters less and less going forward most devs are already unable to keep up with the increased complexity required to make AAA that really pushes what can be done with current hardware.
If the Switch 2 can get close to PS4 graphics with the added benefit of better tech like SSD and DLSS Nintendo already has another winner.
How many PS5 games actually make goof use of PS5 hardware and couldn't be optimized to run well on PS4 if it had proper SSD support?
Maybe something like GTA6 will skip the Switch 2 but the Switch also didn't get GTA5 and tons of other big third party games. Nintendo will make easy money selling games like BG3, Elden Ring, FFXVI, FFVII Remake/Rebirth, etc, to their audience and a patiently they'll be selling at least Sony's PS4 if not many PS5 games as well.
Sony is poorly positioned right now because they followed Xbox too much, they'll have to deal with Nintendo and Valve on two different fronts.
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Funny how Steam won as a gaming platform & storefront they went from 3rd party to becoming bigger then Xbox & PS. Is CSGO on Xbox & PS? They need to expand or is this only exclusive to Xbox & PS maybe the way you see growth, increase profits & dominance by having true permanent exclusive I mean Steam & Nintendo are #1 & bigger then Xbox & PS & Netflix & Disney+ are bigger then MAX & Paramount hmm. Coincidence
Steam & Nintendo have the right mindset. Focus on solely its platform & storefront where they get 100% of the revenue split. Let other competitors self destruct & seek profit growth & audience growth by those competitors that self destructed there platform & storefront making there own playerbase migrate to other platform that offer a wider library of 3rd party & have true permanent exclusive.
Funny enough the reason PC gaming & Steam have seen massive growth is due to exclusive games being only playable on PC/Steam. PUBG, Rust, DayZ, H1Z1, CSGO, DOTA, Legue Of Legend, WOW, Team Fortress, VR chat, L4D, Lost Ark, I can keep going.
Agree
I think publishers skip Switch because they didn’t know how Nintendo & there console would perform. I fully expect 3rd party to port there major key games to Switch. GTA6 might be 30fps 1080 with a smaller field to load in the game world I still expect Take2 to port it just to get it on Nintendo/Mobile devices. Same for Battlefield & COD etc
Agree. Nintendo & Steam is a massive threat to PS, PS storefront & PS platform/hardware
So you see Xbox announce a partnership with Amazon for gamepass on fire sticks & rush to make a thread saying playstation tooSpiderman's 2022 PC version internal files showed they're planning not only Trophies for PC (which we've seen recently added to Ghost Of Tsushima Director's Cut PC via PlayStation Overlay), but it also showed they have a PC Store/Launcher in development with Cross-Buy, Cross-Save/Progression, the Launcher will be probably required to allow you to play the games on Steam, like EA App is required for EA games which justifies even singleplayer games like God Of War Ragnarok and Until Dawn now requiring a PSN account to play, you'll probably need to access the PlayStation Launcher to play these games via Steam just like you need a SocialClub launcher to play GTA V for example.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com...auncher-has-been-discovered-in-spider-man-pc/
leaked Insomniac Games files show they plan to put PS Plus back on Smart TVs and now even Fire Stick and Roku devices with the codename "Services 3.0, The Future of PS Plus" (Service 2.0 was Extra and Premium tiers added to PS Plus to replace PS Now in 2022)
PS+ needs to evolve & become more multiplayer live service centric. You want exclusive cosmetic + in game currency for all PS studios live service subscribe to PS+ in ways it needs to lean toward live service like Fortnite crew. Then they can expand PS+ to PS+ PC & PS+ Mobile.
Expanding PS+ to PC by giving away “free games” will fail just like Epic storefront. Thoe PC & Mobile players would subscribe to PS+ for the long term if they got exclusive cosmetic + benefits for live service games on PS console, PC & Mobile.
If anything to expand PS+ PS doesn’t have many live service + live service on mobile to justify such pivot. They need to acquire studios who solely makes live service games aswell as mobile games. Why doesn’t PS has a anime GATCHA studio after the success w Hoyoverse.
There’s a studio who made a battlefield style game name Battle Bit remaster its only on PC PS should be knocking on there door to acquire them & make Battle Bit remaster exclusive to PS console aswell as releasing across PS, PC & Mobile. Battle Bit remaster showed potential with the studio only having 4 developers with extra polishing & brand collabs + PS marketing I can see Battle Bit be a casual game for console due to its art style catering to a younger crowd from games like Roblox. Give players in Battle Bit the tools to make there own maps & publish them similar to Fortnite & Roblox & PS could have a fun FPS shooter that covers there COD/Battlefield needs on console aswell as having more first party live service studios. There’s other studios like Arc system that would be great studios that work on live service & cover genres PS doesn’t make from a first party level
Except it wouldn't be $8-$10 billion plus whatever they're already making. It'd be on the lower end of that $8 - $10 billion and a perceptible drop (say for example, 10% - 15%) to what they are already bringing in. Why? Because some of the PS+ subs on console would just switch their platform of use from PlayStation consoles to PC. Even if they're still using PS+ on PC, in shifting from the console to PC that's less $500+ consoles being sold, and less 3P B2P & MTX/add-on sales as well. Particularly, if PS Launcher can't get the level of 3P support on PC that something like Steam easily provides.
And once they lose those console buyers to PC for hardware, peripherals & 3P sales, it'll be almost impossible to get them back. The saving grace from SIE here is that such an audience size is probably no more than 2-3 million out of the entire typical 100 - 120 million console install base size. The unfortunate part (for them), is that those 2-3 million will be among some of the highest ARPU hardcore/core enthusiasts, so the amount of spending going with them out from the PS ecosystem specifically and towards other platforms will be grossly disproportionate to their individual numbers as customers.
Considering some of those 2-3 million also would have normally bought multiple consoles (multiple PS5s for instance, or PS5 + PS5 Pro as another example), then you can also infer that a typical 120 million install base gen console-wise is probably closer to a 100 - 105 million unique user install base, and those 2-3 million who decide to switch to PC (and other storefronts like Steam for the majority of their game purchases) will be people who spend 10x (or even more) the amount of money in a console generation than even a lower-ARPU core enthusiast, let alone casuals & mainstream (where that amount would be even higher in favor of those 2-3 million deserters).
Now even having said all of that....IF SIE could expand their total customer base enough to make up for the shift of those 2-3 million console owners from PlayStation hardware to PC (but still most of them using the PS Launcher on PC for games and still subbing to some version of PS+, though likely doing the bulk of their 3P purchases on Steam or even EGS and buying more non-SIE peripherals), then they won't see the drop in revenue & profits I've suggested. In fact, they would probably make more money, just as you and @Yurinka wish.
However, just be open to the reality that it would not be a 100% additive gain...there will definitely be SOME amount of lateral transfer across the ecosystem of more hardcore players from console to PC, and their buying habits changing with that.
Looking at Xbox selling near 50% of Xbox one which sold less & was claim as a disaster by MS I think loosing exclusive games aswell as the cross buy/ pc integration cost Xbox to loose 50%-75% of there hardcore to PC/ other platforms.
I think PS can easily loose 50% of there playerbase to PC/Nintendo. I also think hardcore makes up a higher percentage remember if you loose hardcore you also loose casuals as the console/brand isn’t looked upon hardcore or casual as the cool thing. I’d say PC day n date or even Steamdeck 2/Switch 2 having more power= more 3rd party support + other options at the same price as PS console, loosing 50% seems reasonable loosing 75% would be more inline if PS went day n date on PC or shorten port timespan/started port on Nintendo for key franchise.