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Sony Interactive Entertainment has a huge hit in the PlayStation 5, but the company is looking to maximize its revenue beyond the confines of that platform.
In a financial report today, the company told investors that this involves PlayStation Studios games on mobile, more live-service games, and new ports to PC. Under a section labeled “More PC releases planned,” Sony included Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Days Gone. With Days Gone launching on Steam earlier this month, it seems likely that Uncharted 4 is next to get that treatment.
As part of its documentation, Sony emphasized that these ports help its business. Horizon: Zero Dawn launched on PC last year, and Sony told investors that it saw a 250% return-on-investment. The company also claims that this practice creates new fans for Sony properties. And it also enables games to find fresh audiences in markets like China, Russia, and India that prefer PCs over home consoles.
Above: PlayStation is looking to port more games to PC.
Image Credit: Sony
But it’s not just about PC ports. Sony also reiterated that it plans to use its first-party studios to make more live-service games. While Sony is known for a certain blockbuster style, it sees a chance to generate more money with its own Fortnite or Minecraft.
SIE also expects to release these PlayStation Studios live-service projects on PlayStation 5 as well as on other platforms. This is not unlike what Microsoft is doing with Halo multiplayer, which is launching on Xbox and PC this holiday.
And that is the challenge with live-service games from a company like Sony. How could a game exclusive to a console compete for attention against something like Fortnite, which is everywhere? The answer is seemingly to put those games out wherever you can.
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