The video game industry is going through a tight squeeze that seems to be affecting everyone –PlayStation and PS5 included. Indeed, recent developments make it clear that things are changing on the PlayStation, and this will likely affect anyone who has ever supported the platform.
PlayStation isn't the only company feeling the changing times. Xbox has completely reshuffled its leadership following the retirement of Phil Spencer, with a new CEO in Asha Sharma and Matt Booty being named Chief Content Officer. Ubisoft has changed its leadership team Assassin's Creed— an IP that defined a company that Ubisoft is betting heavily on for future games. Developers struggle to find and keep jobs. The industry is changing and the cracks are already showing at PlayStation.
PlayStation unceremoniously shuts down Bluepoint
Last month, PlayStation announced that it would be shutting down Bluepoint Games in March. That time has come and the era of Bluepoint is over. Everyone was shocked by this announcement, and it shows that the new era is off to a rough start. Bluepoint has always been known for excellent remasters and remakes, incl Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Shadow of the Colossusand Soul of Demons– PS5 launch title. Bluepoint played a role in the beginning (and some big wins) of the PS5 era, but unfortunately it couldn't last until the end.
After startup Soul of DemonsBluepoint Games assisted Santa Monica Studio with the release God of War Ragnarok– the flagship title for PS5. Bluepoint Games will start working on a live service God of War game for the PlayStation, likely in part due to the latter's push for more live service games. This initiative clearly did not produce the results the company wanted. When Bluepoint is a live service God of War game was cancelled, the company worked with PlayStation to bring forward new projects, including a much-anticipated remake of the game Bloody. Reports suggest that FromSoftware was not impressed with Demon's Souls and the company is the reason why the remake Bloody was not allowed. Nothing materialized, ultimately contributing to the studio closing this month.
Bluepoint has made great games and the industry is worse off without his expertise. Some have called for Xbox to save Bluepoint, but with the leadership change happening in a similar time frame, it's unclear if that was even an option.
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PlayStation is ending PC support
During the PS5 era, PlayStation brought several games to PC. Marvel's Spider-Man, God of War 2018 and Ragnarok, Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, The Last of Us Part 1, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Returnaland Days gone there are several examples. Now, depending on who you ask, PlayStation support for PC is either a good thing for gamers or a bad thing for gamers. However, insiders recently talked about PlayStation ending PC support, meaning fans will need a PS5 for games like Marvel's Wolverine.
A new Bloomberg report, citing sources familiar with Sony's plans, shed more light on the situation. In short, PlayStation has no plans to release any more PS5 games on PC after spending the last six years doing just that. Online games like Marathon and Marvel Token will remain multi-platform releases, but games like Spirit of Yotei, Sarosand Wolverine it will never come to PC.
Bloomberg's sources said things could change in the future, but in recent weeks PlayStation has scrapped plans to bring Ghost of Yotei to the PC. Several possible reasons for this shift are outlined by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier:
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PlayStation games don't sell well on PC.
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PlayStation games make more money when sold on the PS5 console.
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Porting PlayStation games to PC can hurt the brand.
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PC gamers didn't like being asked to create PlayStation Network accounts to access these games.
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Rumors suggest that Microsoft's next Xbox will run Windows and be able to play PC games. PlayStation executives may not be thrilled with the idea God of War or Marvel's Spider-Man running on another Xbox console, as an example.
The PS5 era is changing
It's hard to say what future changes Sony's plans will be in this industry. Six years of the PC port strategy and five years of Sony's ownership of Bluepoint Games have come to an unceremonious end, and unfortunately, more changes are likely as the industry settles into the new reality.
