Sony plans include PC Launcher, Cross-Buy, Cross-Save/Progression with PC, PS Plus on Fire Stick, Roku and Smart TVs

[Nhomnhom]

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

I think PS+ is fine as it is, Gamepass shows that these type of services are have a pretty small ceiling and viability and should be seen as just a complementary catalog service.

What Sony should do is remove PS+ requirement for multiplayer and cloud saving and start to take control of the narrative. Treat PlayStation players with the respect they deserve and stop following Xbox lead. Sony and PlayStation have everything to do well, they just need to be straightforward and start focusing on pleasing the right audience.

Great hardware, great games, great costumer service/support, good communication, including making it clear they don't want to abuse their position as platform holder. The formula is simple, they never needed to reinvent the wheel and they have been behaving in a complete self-destructive and unsustainable way for too many years now. They need to get back to their 2009-2020 form or they won't last long.

As for GaaS Sony should count their blessing that Helldivers 2 was a hit and bailed them, the GaaS pivot itself was a disaster, there was never any need to force it.

 

[Neversummer]

I think PS+ is fine as it is, Gamepass shows that these type of services are have a pretty small ceiling and viability and should be seen as just a complementary catalog service.

PS+ on console is fine. But I thought there was leak that PS wanted to expand PS+ to PC & Mobile. In my mind PS+ PC/PS+ Mobile will fail if it’s the same as PS+ on console. PC players aren’t going to subscribe to as PS+ PC if they get 3 “free games” on PC. PC players likely already have the game or would rather get it on Steam sales. Which why I say PS needs to add new benefits+bonus for having PS+ add free exclusive cosmetic for all PS+ subscribers keep the “free games” for PS+ on console but on PC & Mobile PS+ is more live service multiplayer exclusive cosmetic + more benefits for the PC & Mobile version of PS+.

Sony likely wants to monetize PS+ on PC & Mobile it’s essentially another revenue source & by splitting PS+ to PS+ console, PS+ PC & PS+ mobile Sony can monetize each platform wherever players decide to play PS games or buy PS+ on those platform named. Also PS+ leaning exclusive cosmetics will allow Sony to bring PS+ subscriptions to iOS since Apple doesn’t like subscription where you can play games without the owner of the subscription needing to purchase “separate games” within that subscription.

What Sony should do is remove PS+ requirement for multiplayer and cloud saving and start to take control of the narrative. Treat PlayStation players with the respect they deserve and stop following Xbox lead. Sony and PlayStation have everything to do well, they just need to be straightforward and start focusing on pleasing the right audience.

I don’t see PS removing online till they sponge the potential loss by another benefit as strong to keep as many players subscribed to PS+. The monthly free games are cool but if it wasn’t tied to online I likely wouldn’t keep subscribing now if they had exclusive cosmetic + other multiplayer focus benefits for all PS live service & maybe even 3rd party I would likely keep subscribing to PS+ just for those “free games” + exclusive cosmetic/other benefits.

Long term removing online should be a long term plan. Cloud is more understandable in some ways because Sony isn’t a cloud company & they likely subsidize Cloud servers w PS+ not sure if Valve/Steam offer cloud play. Xbox is likely the first to remove online completely if there actually gonna get Steam on the next Xbox hardware they’ll likely make online free mainly because it will be more like PC. Either way it makes PS look bad while making Xbox, Steam/PC & Nintendo look better because it’s either free or cheap on competitors

 

[Etifilio]

So you see Xbox announce a partnership with Amazon for gamepass on fire sticks & rush to make a thread saying playstation too

it's the reality, it's all public data at this point, coming from them, that's their plans for the future

 

[Etifilio]

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).

it doesn't matter if they don't sell more than 120 - 150M consoles, every generation they increase their profits because the amount spent per user also increases, this is the sustainable model here, not subscriptions, while MS is bleeding money since 2017 with the hope GamePass will become the norm, PS5 is the most profitable console Sony ever had, you cannot use analogies to Netflix and other subscription services because it's been more than proven that subscriptions are not and will not become the norm for videogames, the main competitor is dropping games DAY ONE on the service and its subscribers on both Console, PC, Mobile, Smart TVs, Tablets, Meta Quests Headsets and now even FireStick devices are nowhere near half of the amount of consoles Sony sold in the last 4 years, you can't compare a subscription service of movies of 2 hours and TV Shows of 1 hour per episode with videogames that are 50 - 100h to complete, for the vast majority of people, it's better to just buy the game and play it slowly

and about your other quotes around Steam, no, Sony will not compete with Steam, they won't have exclusives to their launcher, they won't have nothing but a Launcher to play their games and subscribe to PS Plus and play games natively on your PC, the only difference is that now you'll be obligated to have PSN account and use this launcher when you press "play" on your Steam library, that's all, if they wanted to compete with Steam, they would never put their games there in the first place, they would've made a launcher since 2020 when they dropped Horizon Zero Dawn on PC

the hard reality here is that Sony should be aiming to mirror the Nintendo model, cause that is the only model that would work for Sony, Nintendo is sitting on cash, they're not even worried about Cloud Gaming or Subscription Services, all their subscription offer is older games and their own franchises, they make more profits than PlayStation, the model should be grow your first party franchises with Playstation Productions, make them more popular (Mario Movie, example, TLOU TV Show), make people come to your box instead of PC, buy your $70 games, buy third party stuff from your storefront, it may seem antiquated for you, but this is the only model that works and has worked for the past 30 years, it's the only model that's sustainable for AAA games, once you dillude and make your core product undesirable like Microsoft made, there is no turning back, and Sony is more and more turning PlayStation into a Service instead of a Platform, if shit hits the fan and this model proves to be a failure like everything has been indicating, they won't be able to recover from their own mistakes of following big tech

you mentioned Apple, you know what Apple loves to make? they frustrate their competitors and do stuff their way, they'll never sell iOS or MacOS, you have to come to their products if you want the Apple experience, and they made MS quit a lot of products like Zune, Surface, Windows Phone, because they don't see what their competitors are doing, they focus on what they do the best and what works best for them, Sony is doing the opposite of that, they're following every step MS is, even tho they're seeing this model doesn't work even with Day One releases and expansions Beyond the Console.

 

[mibu no ookami]

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.

As you say with no evidence whatsoever. It's extremely doubtful that someone who already spends 500 dollars on a console is going to jump to PC just to use PSN there. And even if you're looking at net new customers, that's actually beneficial for Sony. The best case for Sony is to lock you into PSN without having to sell you hardware that they sell at a loss.

They would still get the B2P and MTX from the PC launcher...

Hilarious how you make the assumption people would jump to the PC launcher, even if it has less 3P support... How is it that you don't realize that you have a clear agenda?

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.

You still haven't explained why they're loinsg console buyers in the first place. This idea that all console buyers want a PC just isn't baked in reality. PC gaming has been around for decades and so has console gaming.

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).

The amount of assumptions you make that are entirely baseless is absolutely hilarious. You learned nothing from your VR fumble.

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.

See above.

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.

There is always SOME amount of lateral transfers. There are also people going from PC to console. There is no real evidence to suggest that one is greater than the other, but some with an agenda here are convinced that one is true, despite there not being evidence to support it.

 

[mibu no ookami]

it doesn't matter if they don't sell more than 120 - 150M consoles, every generation they increase their profits because the amount spent per user also increases, this is the sustainable model here, not subscriptions, while MS is bleeding money since 2017 with the hope GamePass will become the norm, PS5 is the most profitable console Sony ever had, you cannot use analogies to Netflix and other subscription services because it's been more than proven that subscriptions are not and will not become the norm for videogames, the main competitor is dropping games DAY ONE on the service and its subscribers on both Console, PC, Mobile, Smart TVs, Tablets, Meta Quests Headsets and now even FireStick devices are nowhere near half of the amount of consoles Sony sold in the last 4 years, you can't compare a subscription service of movies of 2 hours and TV Shows of 1 hour per episode with videogames that are 50 - 100h to complete, for the vast majority of people, it's better to just buy the game and play it slowly

and about your other quotes around Steam, no, Sony will not compete with Steam, they won't have exclusives to their launcher, they won't have nothing but a Launcher to play their games and subscribe to PS Plus and play games natively on your PC, the only difference is that now you'll be obligated to have PSN account and use this launcher when you press "play" on your Steam library, that's all, if they wanted to compete with Steam, they would never put their games there in the first place, they would've made a launcher since 2020 when they dropped Horizon Zero Dawn on PC

the hard reality here is that Sony should be aiming to mirror the Nintendo model, cause that is the only model that would work for Sony, Nintendo is sitting on cash, they're not even worried about Cloud Gaming or Subscription Services, all their subscription offer is older games and their own franchises, they make more profits than PlayStation, the model should be grow your first party franchises with Playstation Productions, make them more popular (Mario Movie, example, TLOU TV Show), make people come to your box instead of PC, buy your $70 games, buy third party stuff from your storefront, it may seem antiquated for you, but this is the only model that works and has worked for the past 30 years, it's the only model that's sustainable for AAA games, once you dillude and make your core product undesirable like Microsoft made, there is no turning back, and Sony is more and more turning PlayStation into a Service instead of a Platform, if shit hits the fan and this model proves to be a failure like everything has been indicating, they won't be able to recover from their own mistakes of following big tech

you mentioned Apple, you know what Apple loves to make? they frustrate their competitors and do stuff their way, they'll never sell iOS or MacOS, you have to come to their products if you want the Apple experience, and they made MS quit a lot of products like Zune, Surface, Windows Phone, because they don't see what their competitors are doing, they focus on what they do the best and what works best for them, Sony is doing the opposite of that, they're following every step MS is, even tho they're seeing this model doesn't work even with Day One releases and expansions Beyond the Console.

You've convinced yourself that exclusive titles are the only method of competition when that simply isn't true, at least the way you're presenting it.

You mention apple and exclusivity... but what if I told you that iTunes had been on windows since 2003 and that without that the iPod would never have reached the level of sales that it did. Even though iTunes performed significantly better on MacOS than it did Windows.

That Apple's ability to leverage the iPod directly lead to their success with the iPhone.

Apple started AppleTV and guess what they did, they took it from AppleTV hardware and MacOS and iOS and put it on Android, Samsung TVs, and other devices...

Apple wanted MacOS on Vaio laptops and Sony said no.

Again, people with agendas only see what they want to see. Imagine if PlayStation came out in 1994 and it only worked on Sony TVs. Sony has tried forcing consumers hands unsuccessfully for years and it almost always come at a cost of their market share. This is exactly what happened with Atrac3 and Memory Stick.

If Sony had been more open and built a Mp3 walkman early on, it probably would have beat the iPod, but they were convinced that they had to use their own proprietary format, Atrac3. And the only way to do this was using Sony Connect, which was their proprietary software.

 

[SuperPotato]

Leave it to Etfilio to make a "SonyToo" thread as soon as Xbox makes an announcement, lol.

 

[Yurinka]

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.

As part of the PS+ expansion to other platforms they will include non-gaming benefits, they are considering which one of them exactly: according to that document they are evaluating bundling internal or external non-gaming subs or related content of things like Sony Pictures Core, Crunchyroll or Spotify that could be interesting not only for PS users but also to mobile, PC or smart tv users.

That kind of content doesn't replace their console and also can be used there. Regarding gaming, many of these devices will be able to play via streaming (both the games included in the sub or the digital games you bought for PS). Meaning, you won't be able to play them locally on a mobile or smart tv, you'll need a console for that.

A separe thing will be games or add-ons specific to mobile, or PC. They are considering to include them on PS+ too. They can't deliver them via Google Play/Steam, meaning they'll need their own mobile and PC PSN store/launcher to at least have these mobile and PC games. And it's fair to assume they'll also use that store/launcher to sell and download their mobile + PC games. And pretty likely, if they also sell 1st party games pretty likely they'll also include 3rd party games.

Allowing you to play your PS games via cloud gaming on a phone or smart tv (or PS Player) won't make people leave their consoles, will be something secondary. Specially because places with a proper connection are limited, the geographical coverage will be limited during many years, and the experience can't be as good as locally, and because the price to pay the servers must be expensive for the sub that allows it.

And well, if the mobile PS+ gives you premium currency for F2P mobile games, or if it includes the mobile port of some indie game is not going to move people away from console. Specially when several of these mobile games from let's say MiHoyo or Sony will also be available for console or won't be appealing enough for console players.

Their plan for this off-console PS+ is basically to give extra benefits to their existing users in more platforms, and to also add content appealing for another type of users that exist in other platforms. The document basically says that they have to carefully choose what kind of content they'll include there to achieve that.

Their idea isn't to transfer users to other platforms, it's to expand their business to reach more customers not only on existing platforms, but in new ones too. Markets that have a way bigger userbase than the one where they already were.

And well, if they get more subscribers they'll make more money. It isn't a wish, it's a fact. Regarding the amount of extra userbase, subscribers, revenue and profit they'll get with that strategy will depend on how appealing is the content for that userbase and its pricing/business model.

 

[ksdixon]

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.

Bro what is it with you and Denuvo? That shit tanks performance on games for legit paying customers while pirates (who can still pirate Denuvo games) don't get those drawbacks. Forget Denuvo and forget PC porting for at least a gen, and focus back on PS5/PS6.

If online play paywall is a sticking point for non-PC players, then Sony need to knock-down into 2 or 1 tier. Then people may still grumble a little on online play paywall, but it'll be a lot more attractive of a presented package to swallow. (see: PS+ becoming required for online play with PS4 gen. (PS3 version at least) PS+ was already a great service worth its weight in price, it was a shrug moment when it became required because people were already happy with quality of service, kinda thing),

 

[Nhomnhom]

Bro what is it with you and Denuvo? That shit tanks performance on games for legit paying customers while pirates (who can still pirate Denuvo games) don't get those drawbacks. Forget Denuvo and forget PC porting for at least a gen, and focus back on PS5/PS6.

If online play paywall is a sticking point for non-PC players, then Sony need to knock-down into 2 or 1 tier. Then people may still grumble a little on online play paywall, but it'll be a lot more attractive of a presented package to swallow.

Pirates cant play Denuvo games, it takes years to crack it, some devs remove it after some time that is why people can pirate them later. I think hardly any Denuvo game is being cracked these days, good.

Sony should buy Denuvo and leverage it with lisence that dont expire.

As for Denuvo causing performance issues, stop cap, even if it's true unless devs botch the implementation it is not something that can be noticed.

Any non pirate that likes PC should support Denuvo, piracy is the worst thing about PC, it punishes good games and promote GaaS/F2P/microtransactions instead.

Sony was pretty much completelly protected from piracy on PlayStation and now are completelly exposed due to PC, what an awful strategy.

 

[ksdixon]

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).

If PS fanboys had their way... Sony wouldn't have soured their 3P relations over course of PS3/4/5 lifespan to the point where other publishers or investors now own or control said 3P's output and platform availability. MetaVR buying RAD? MS's deals and parity clauses with SEGA/SE and the like. Or Embracer/Tencent buying the likes of Supermassive and Quantic Dreams. They'd have bought/majority shareholder status'd Capcom back in the day when they needed it and were open to it.

They wouldn't have lost 10 years in the portable space and now coming back with half-baked products that don't even stand-up to the previous machine from 10 years ago which launched with a myriad of its own drawbacks.

You guys think PC is the answer, PC is just the distraction. Sony don't know WTF they are doing, and havent since.. What? The Kaz/Tretton/House/Bose/Shu era? Late PS3-Early PS4?

 

[Would_you_kindly]

Pirates cant play Denuvo games, it takes years to crack it, some devs remove it after some time that is why people can pirate them later. I think hardly any Denuvo game is being cracked these days, good.

Sony should buy Denuvo and leverage it with lisence that dont expire.

As for Denuvo causing performance issues, stop cap, even if it's true unless devs botch the implementation it is not something that can be noticed.

Any non pirates that likes PC should support Denuvo, piracy is the worst thing about PC.

Sony was pretty much completelly protected from piracy on PlayStation and now are completelly exposed due to PC, what an awful strategy.

Hogwarts legacy had denuvo & it was cracked within a week

 

[Etifilio]

Leave it to Etfilio to make a "SonyToo" thread as soon as Xbox makes an announcement, lol.

leave it to blind people like you to move goalposts

 

[rofif]

Fools fools fools.
Stick to console. On console you own the whole ecosystem. you get the WHOLE profit and control everything.
Exclusive games will sell consoles. You get money from hardware, software and services.
Going to pc will just dilute it and make people wait for cheap ass pc sales and buy from cdkeys

 

[On Demand]

Good luck with that.

The more reasons you give consumers not to buy into PlayStation consoles the more you will continue to miss fiscal sales.

 

[Wing84]

Have a buy on PS5 + PC (+ that up coming handheld when possible) bundle alongside cross-save between the devices and PlayStation might become too dominating for Xbox and Steam. Would be cool to see Nintendo do the same. Mind you, I say this as a console mostly player, PC secondly.

 

[ethomaz]

they won't abandon steam, they're even in gog now

Actually is the opposite.
They did a experiment on GOG and released the first 4 PC titles there too but after they stopped.
Sony doesn't release their games on GOG anymore.

The last one was Uncharted Collection in October 2022.

Their experiments was not only GOG... they put games on Epic Game Store too.
Today they release on Steam and EGS... well since 2023.

With PS Launcher they will probably stop in both... I can't see giving part of the revenue after they have their own launcher... maybe the 5% from Epic Game Store can still be acceptable.

 

[mibu no ookami]

If PS fanboys had their way... Sony wouldn't have soured their 3P relations over course of PS3/4/5 lifespan to the point where other publishers or investors now own or control said 3P's output and platform availability. MetaVR buying RAD? MS's deals and parity clauses with SEGA/SE and the like. Or Embracer/Tencent buying the likes of Supermassive and Quantic Dreams. They'd have bought/majority shareholder status'd Capcom back in the day when they needed it and were open to it.

This dream you live in... 3rd parties have been wary of Sony since the PS2. They were originally tired of Nintendo which is what lead to the success of the PS1, but they didn't want to create a replacement for Nintendo. Many devs talked about this back in the day. It's a major reason why you saw games from companies like Capcom and Konami go to Gamecube. Even Square Enix started supporting the Gamecube more than the N64.

You think Sony was going to buy every 2nd party they ever worked with? You clearly have no clue about the difficulties involved in that in terms of budgeting and management.

They should have bought Capcom back in the day? Capcom was nearly in financial ruin and you're missing the fact that Sony couldn't afford Capcom back then. They were barely running operating profits during the PS1 and PS2 eras and the PS3 era they were in the negative.

The PS5 is already nearly as profitable as all generations of PS before it and it's precisely because of the decisions they're making that you don't like. Sony's ability to afford investments comes from the very things you hate.

They wouldn't have lost 10 years in the portable space and now coming back with half-baked products that don't even stand-up to the previous machine from 10 years ago which launched with a myriad of its own drawbacks.

Again thinking everything happens in a vacuum. Sony historically didn't have much first party development, which meant they were spread thin with the PSP and Vita. It took years of investments in affordable studios like Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, Sucker Punch, Media Molecule, as well as organic growth of studios like Santa Monica Studios on top of Polyphony Digital.

You continue to make these wild assumptions that Sony could have bought bigger companies, when they weren't ever making that much money to begin with.

I think people have this idea that because Sony was market leader they could have bought anyone they wanted.

It's only recently that SIE has had any real sense of size and scope, but it's largely come too late, because big tech is looming around the corner.

You guys think PC is the answer, PC is just the distraction. Sony don't know WTF they are doing, and havent since.. What? The Kaz/Tretton/House/Bose/Shu era? Late PS3-Early PS4?

PC isn't a distraction. It's a legitimate avenue to vastly improve their margins. You think Sony doesn't know what they're doing but the graph shows otherwise. You mythologized the past without having any sense of reality.

The billions of dollars they can make from PC and GaaS, the hundreds of millions, if not billions they can make from TV/Movies, the enhancement to IP from their transmedia strategy, the high margins they can make from selling high in demand peripherals...

Sony has never been more competently run and it's absolutely wild for people to say otherwise. They literally lost money from 2007 to 2014... and never really made a ton of money before that, but magically should have been buying companies like Capcom or the failed developers of The Order 1886, or a problematic game studio in Quantic Dream, whose games were reaching a ceiling...

 

[mibu no ookami]

Actually is the opposite.
They did a experiment on GOG and released the first 4 PC titles there too but after they stopped.
Sony doesn't release their games on GOG anymore.

The last one was Uncharted Collection in October 2022.

Their experiments was not only GOG... they put games on Epic Game Store too.
Today they release on Steam and EGS... well since 2023.

With PS Launcher they will probably stop in both... I can't see giving part of the revenue after they have their own launcher... maybe the 5% from Epic Game Store can still be acceptable.

I'd guess there may be a transition period and I'm not sure they would delist existing games (maybe though). I just think games like Helldivers 3, Destiny 3, Elden Ring 2 (if they bought Kadokawa/From) would be exclusive to their storefront.

I could see if Sony is able to leverage their success buying bigger things like Discord or going after companies that give them the demand on console and PC that could help set up a launcher for success: Epic Games, FromSoftware and CDPR being the three biggest on a scale of a Naughty Dog or larger.

I think it is why they were/are looking at Paramount. They can't keep operating as a small fish in a big pond. They're getting eaten alive out there by their competitors and they're extremely cash poor.

 

[Thirty7ven]

They have been “experimenting” for what, six or seven years at this point? Now they have put their games on Steam which means when they release their own launcher they will go through another shit storm from the rabid Steam fans and streamers. If they want to release their own store front, their own app, it better come feature complete ready to compete otherwise just another clown shoes moment by Sony. It should’ve been ready yesterday considering PC is growing fast in Japan, they are looking like fools if this their end goal and they are taking so long.