I honestly don't understand why Sony needs a launcher or its own store on PC. They've invested hundreds of millions in Epic, so why not release exclusively on PC in the Epic Store again? In the end, Sony also benefits if the Epic Store becomes more successful. If the rumors about the next Xbox hardware are true and Steam can be used there, Sony will have to rethink things anyway, in my opinion. I don't think Sony is interested in Steam becoming an even bigger player and thus being able to demand even more percentage. I also don't know how much Sony likes to see Playstation ports run on Xbox thanks to Steam. Since Xbox doesn't seem to be a competitor anymore and MS ports a lot of things, that won't be as relevant today, but I can hardly imagine Sony wanting to give up control over games.
Perhaps Sony wants to keep as many options open as possible, as it did with TV shows. Sony could open its own new streaming service straight away, but instead work with every other service. It seems to be similar with games. They've invested in Epic, but they also have good relationships with Apple, and since Epic and Apple are having a few problems, Sony currently prefers to go with Steam. I'm definitely excited to see how this all continues and what the next CEO will decide at some point. But it's also bizarre that Jim Ryan has only been retired for a month and the next shitstorm is breaking out after the Stellar Blade censorship drama. It's about time that Sony finally got active and got some positive press again, otherwise even a good showcase can hardly save the mood.
