Over the past few years, PlayStation has steadily brought its major exclusives over to PC. While not a huge philosophical shift, many saw the move as a smart, necessary growth to break away from the closed console platform. However, recent comments from industry insiders suggest Sony‘s strategy may be changing. And it might not be for the better.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier said he believes PlayStation may be ‘backing away’ from putting its traditional single-player exclusives on PC. Speaking on the Triple Click podcast, Schreier added that he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if Marvel’s Wolverine never comes to PC at all. Or at least ‘for the indefinite future.’ To fuel the fire, he explicitly said on ResetEra forum that this is not mere speculation, teasing that a more detailed article on the topic could be on the way.
“I think for them, their strategy is like, live service games are coming at PC, but I think, the sense of getting is that they’re backing away from putting their exclusive consoles stuff, like traditional single player stuff, on PC.”
Similarly, Digital Foundry’s John Linneman said on February’s DF Direct Q+A video that he has an ‘inkling’ that PlayStation is pulling away from PC under its current leadership. While the company might keep making PC ports, he expects it to become less PC-focused going forward.
“Yep. I actually I have an inkling that they’re pulling away from PC. Watch the space. But I can’t help based on some of the decisions and the way things have been going lately, I get the feeling that under the current leadership, that PC has become less important. […] I think console is where they want to be.”
Even SneakersSO, a NeoGAF user previously known for accurately leaking Xbox’s multiplatform pivot, chimed in on Schreier’s remarks with a simple: “Hes [sic] not wrong.”
Of course, all these do not suggest that PlayStation is making a full tactical withdrawal from the PC market. But taken together, they point toward a massive shift, particularly when it comes to big-budget, narrative-driven exclusives.
If PlayStation is indeed tightening its belt on PC, the real question is what’s behind the move? There are at least three plausible explanations.
1. Being Profitable Isn’t the Full Picture
One of the most likely reasons is simple math. Officially, Sony has reported growing PC revenue in recent years, with games like God of War and Horizon performing strongly on Steam. However, PC sales still remain a small slice of the digital pie.
According to Sony’s financial report, PlayStation games released on PC and other non-PlayStation platforms generated around $650 million in fiscal year 2024. That sounds massive — until you compare it to the roughly $16.5 billion generated via the PlayStation Store in the same period. In other words, PC ports accounted for just about 4% of PlayStation’s total digital revenue.
PC launches bring in software revenue, sure, but they do not sell hardware, drive subscriptions to PlayStation Plus, or lock players to its own Store. From a corporate perspective, the question may not just be “Does PC make money?” but rather “Does it strengthen our core business?”
2. Console Wars Heating Up Again
Then, there is the looming question of the upcoming 10th-generation console cycle. Phil Spencer may have cooled the console wars, but the next generation of consoles might reignite them again. With leadership shifts and hardware costs continuing to fluctuate, platform strategy is once again being challenged. Adding to the tension are persistent rumors regarding future Xbox hardware that will further blur the line between console and PC.
Sony might see that continuing to release PlayStation games on PC could indirectly strengthen its rival Xbox-Windows ecosystem. In that scenario, Sony may prefer to rebuild its gaming brand — which has been taking hits lately. Especially with open remarks from third-party partners like Capcom about PS5 pricing being a ‘barrier’ in certain markets.
3. Exclusivity Is the Name of the Game
Lastly, as mentioned above, Sony has a three-decade-old brand to protect. The PlayStation brand has been built around ‘must-play’ single-player experiences from studios like Guerilla Games, Naughty Dog, and Insomniac Games. If flagship games consistently arrive on PC within one or two years, the urgency to own a PlayStation console weakens.
Gamers will see its consoles as some sort of ‘early access’ and just wait for the cheaper complete version to land elsewhere. That point of view becomes even more sensitive as AAA price tags continue to climb.
That’s why Schreier’s suggestion that Marvel’s Wolverine could remain PS5-exclusive for a long time carries weight. Sony could be drawing a clearer line between live service games like Helldivers to capture audiences and cinematic single-player games to drive its closed ecosystem. That means more sales for PlayStation consoles and more subscribers to Plus.
For now, we’ll just have to wait for Schreier’s next piece. But the broader questions around PlayStation’s direction — and how console makers see PC fitting into their plans — aren’t going anywhere. As the lines between console and PC continue to blur, platform owners will have to decide how much they are willing to embrace the overlap.
