Bloomberg previously reported that Sony will no longer be the first party to the PS5 game on the PC platformThis is partly due to the recent poor sales of PC versions. However, according to Newzoo ‘ s analysis, Sony ‘ s distribution strategy in fact limits its audience coverage on the PC platform.
Newzoo notes that, with the exception of the popular 2024 work, Jedi 2 — Sony usually takes a long time on PS5 — before the corresponding PC version is launched, resulting in a much lower percentage of PC platform audiences than multiplatform simultaneous games. This trend applies equally to all issuers and is not unique to Sony. The Newzoo Market Intelligence Director, Manu Rosil, said: “Newzoo data show that PlayStation is transposed to PC after the distribution of the mainframe, and that PC players usually account for about 13 per cent of the total number of players within three months of the two platforms. In contrast, when the same 3As were distributed in tandem with the PC and the mainframe, the percentage of players on the PC platform in the same period was nearly 44%.” It is noteworthy that this model is not unique to Sony’s first party. PlayStation’s first-party game and third-party monolithic productions account for almost no difference in the percentage of players on the PC platform, which suggests that the results are driven mainly by the wrong distribution strategy rather than by the specific IP demand of PC players.”
The data also show a downward trend in the share of the PC platform audience for Sony ‘ s recent first-party work. Rossil’s analysis of specific works states: “The early transplantation of PC PlayStation’s PlayStation received a relatively strong player share. Horizon: the dawn of zero, PC players account for up to 22 per cent (about 4 million players for life), 14 per cent (about 3.5 million) and 14 per cent (about 3.8 million) of Vigilante Spider-Man.” The share of new transplants of PCs is generally lower, including Ricky and Tinker Bell: Time and Space Jumping (8 per cent), Horizon: The West Banned (7 per cent), War God 5: The Dizziness of the Gods (6 per cent) and River Spider-Man 2 (5 per cent). The exception is The Spirit of the Horse Island, where PC players account for up to 11 per cent (approximately 2.1 million), possibly thanks to the first time the IP landed on the PC platform.”
“The key conclusion is that the timing of the release has a significant impact on the participation of PC players. When PC versions are not available until many years after their distribution at the host end, most of the early demands of the game life cycle are met on the host platform.” This strategic realignment of Sony coincided with a change in leadership in Xbox, which could herald a shift in the distribution strategy. Craig Duncan, head of the Xbox studio, previously stated that the company’s goal was “more consistent” to synchronize the distribution of first-party works on multiple platforms and that Xbox announced yesterday that the next generation of hosts would be compatible with the PC game.