God of War director Cory Barlog went front and center in revealing the cause behind Sony’s decision to release its first-party titles on PC. It is not just about the money it seems, but rather is something else more or less influential.
The gaming space is known for its own competition that sees industry players vying to dominate the market. While PC will always win in the library department, consoles, on the other hand, get their edge through their exclusive titles. Take, for example, the God of War franchise, which never saw a platform other than the PlayStation, be it on a traditional console or handheld. However, this business strategy seems to be in a blur as once exclusive titles from Sony have recently been calling the PC their new home.
The real cause
It does make good sense why Sony would consider giving away its cards to competition for greater profit. But it did not mean that Sony was fully given to the idea without the impetus leading to the choice. Speaking to Game Informer, director to the highly-acclaimed God of War disclosed what really led the Japanese giant to pursue a move that its another competition, Nintendo, simply would not.
As per Barlog, it has something to do with the “collective of studios’s” push to make it happen. Suggesting it was a “really good idea”. However, this is not just your one-time thing that abruptly made Sony’s execs agree upon a certain pitch. It appears to be persistent and one that culminated to the “tipping point,” leading to the ultimate decision to give the suggestion a shot. The company’s agreement, however, comes with the caveat that it would be experimental. Inevitably, implying a plausible change in direction in the future, if things did or did not go well.
Uncertain
On the topic of launching more Sony first-party titles on PC, the director was asked what’s his opinion about Ragnarok soon also calling it its new home. The question comes in light with 2018’s God of War just recently released on PC. Upfront, Barlog claims to have no idea as to the possibility of his studio’s latest creation. Even after four years down the road. Going back full circle as to how Sony is kind of only experimenting in the entire scheme. That is, by releasing one title at a time and measuring business performance from there.
Image used courtesy of IGN/YouTube Screenshot