"Is the Game Worth the Candle?" - Analysts Explain Sony's Refusal to Release Games on PC

News 7
02 May 08:42

According to estimates from The Game Business and Ampere Analysis, demand for Sony's single-player projects on PC has significantly dropped. First-month sales appear weak compared to console launches.

Sony game sales estimates on PC:

  • Ghost of Tsushima — 710,000 copies;
  • God of War Ragnarok — 300,000 copies;
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 — 260,000 copies;
  • Horizon Forbidden West — 230,000 copies.
Steam

The most telling example is God of War Ragnarok. On PS4 and PS5, the game attracted almost 7 million players during its launch window, while 300,000 on PC looks like a statistical error.

Is the game worth the candle? Sony probably asked themselves the same question. An additional 300,000 copies compared to millions on PlayStation is only a fraction of revenue, which does not compensate for the risk of weakening their own ecosystem.

The problem lies in a conflict of interests. A simultaneous release on PC could increase sales, but Sony's business relies on "hardware": PS5 needs strong exclusives. Releasing games directly on Steam would undermine this model.