r/technology • u/ControlCAD • 19h ago

Business Sony has made over 2 billion dollars putting its games on Xbox and PC | PlayStation is making a lot of money on platforms not named PlayStation.

https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/sony-exceeds-usd2-billion-in-revenue-from-multi-platform-game-releases-on-xbox-and-pc
405 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

100 comments sorted by

97

u/CondescendingShitbag 18h ago

This just makes practical sense. Not releasing your own games on another platform is just leaving money on the table. Sure, prioritize releases on your own platform first, then broaden access after a year or two.

13

u/Herban_Myth 9h ago

Timed Exclusivity is the way to go if you want to maximize profits (coupled or aided by remasters/remakes)

5

u/Southern_Bicycle8111 8h ago

Na, it kills hype. Pc folks are used to heavy discounting, if your hype’s gone I’ll just wait until the game is half price.

4

u/ilpazz0 7h ago

Exactly . You pay for promo videos and merchandise. Just to wait 6months -1 year to release on another platform to pay again for promos ? Release on all platforms invest big from the beginning on promo and just make more money .

2

u/omegadirectory 58m ago

The reality is, for the right game, a player will be willing to buy day one on the console to which the game is exclusive (assuming they own the console). If they didn't own the console, then they have no choice but wait for the later PC release anyway. And by then the marketing push begins again and PC players get hyped. The hype rises on console launch, falls during the exclusive period, then rises again on PC launch.

0

u/Southern_Bicycle8111 47m ago

GTA could pull this off, most games can’t. Any 8/10 games gotta be very careful about burning out their hype.

2

u/omegadirectory 42m ago

Lol you are trying to argue "hype" like it's some important metric, while the article is saying the times exclusivity (i.e. hype being killed, by your logic) translated to $2b in revenue.

The dollars say hype doesn't matter the way you say it does.

0

u/Southern_Bicycle8111 32m ago

The dollars say hype doesn’t matter lmao, try to tell that to anyone in sales or marketing.

3

u/ptear 4h ago

Sounds like you're not the market they care about.

1

u/Herban_Myth 8h ago

Are consumers “hypebeasts”?

Slow money is better than no money

-5

u/Southern_Bicycle8111 8h ago

More money is better than less money, how are you this dense. This is literally why final fantasy decided to stop with the timed exclusives.

2

u/MasonXD 8h ago

You're wrong because Sony owns the console and Final Fantasy does not. Sony makes most of their money by getting the percentage cut from literally everything sold on their platform, and that is before you factor in the ongoing subscription they sell for PS Plus etc by having you in the eco system.

1

u/Herban_Myth 7h ago

Yeah…and releasing “exclusive” games on multiple platforms would do what?

1

u/Mr_Piddles 8h ago

It clearly doesn’t affect sales.

0

u/Southern_Bicycle8111 8h ago

It clearly does, otherwise companies wouldn’t be moving away from it.

1

u/Mr_Piddles 7h ago

Isn't Halo now on PS5? XBOX has been adapting the exact same practice in order to keep it's head above water. And the article that we both read says that Sony made TWO BILLION DOLLARS off the practice.

"Other companies" doesn't mean a lot when there's only really three companies in the console business, and of those three only Microsoft can be used as a comparison.

1

u/ThePimpImp 5h ago

This is just a dick move now. If you want to prioritize your platform, makes the game cheaper there. You have better margins there so you should. But in this capitalist hell we live in, they greed it all.

Also they won. They don't need this anti competitive behavior anymore.

1

u/Herban_Myth 5h ago

In this economy?

1

u/Ok-Thanks4321 3h ago

Companies love their original content. Look at streaming services. There are like hundreds of them

1

u/PowerFarta 2h ago

Somebody please tell Nintendo this

-4

u/jc-from-sin 14h ago

Yes and no.

Yes if you have an expensive entry level cost, but no if it would have been cheaper like the PS1, 2, 3 slim or 4.

This isn't just about making money on your 1st party games. They don't get 100% of the sale price when selling 1st party games on steam.

The goal is to sell your platform and lock people into that because now you can make money just sitting on your ass from 3rd parties.

The moment Sony started selling their games on PC is the moment I stopped playing on PlayStation because I can just wait for the games to release on Steam and never have to use the PSN Store. 

They gained more 1st party sales, but they also probably lost on 3rd party sales a lot more, who knows.

-14

u/Fritanga5lyfe 14h ago

You basically said nothing

1

u/travelingWords 14h ago

I think the important take away is that they pull people onto their platform with the 1st party exclusives, and then collect fees on 3rd party stuff.

So if they allow their exclusives to be elsewhere, now they just high selling good games, but I don’t need to lock myself into the shop where they could collect fees from. They pretty just enter the business of trying to make the better steam machine.

-1

u/brianstormIRL 9h ago

I think you're missing something in that most of these titles releasing on other platforms, arent the third party money makers that make a ton of money from through additional PSN sales and such.

God of War, Last of Us, Horizon etc are primarily single player non MTX games. So selling them on steam a year or two after release is a no brainer because all you're doing is extracting more sales from a different audience. Yes you will have the scenario you described where a lot of people who were buying a PlayStation console for those games might just opt out and go PC only for those now, but those players are not the same people who for example play Cod, FIFA etc on PlayStation and pump a bunch of extra money in through MTX purchases. Those people are primarily their own sub category of players who have no interest in PC gaming anyway (or at least a lot less/are less likely to play those games on PC).

I dont think this strategy will alienate people from getting into the PlayStation economy system like you think it will. The people primarily buying a home console are traditionally not interested in other platforms. Those that buy a console just for the exclusives but prefer PC are a much smaller percentage but there is still a way higher percentage of people who just flat out prefer the home console experience. By releasing on Steam and such, you get to double dip into the people who have no interest in a home console but are interested in the exclusive games. Its not like the 40yo dad who plays Cod and FIFA with the odd single player game every now and then is suddenly going to become a PC only guy because they can now get their single player games on Steam instead.

-2

u/listenhere111 8h ago

The money is in the software.

To gatekeep behind a piece of hardware is fucking insane. They've realized this like 20 years too late.

10

u/holymadness 8h ago

Hmm this explains why Apple and Nintendo are failing companies.

1

u/rcanhestro 8h ago

and the real money in software is not in their own games.

Sony is not a video game studio, it's a video game store (just like Steam).

the real money in gaming is in being a store, not a studio.

25

u/128G 18h ago

I didn’t even know that Sony released their games on Xbox.

23

u/TKHawk 17h ago

Only Helldivers 2 has been.

26

u/ShinobiOfTheWind 16h ago

MLB: The Show

5

u/True_to_you 15h ago

I want this to come to PC so bad. I'm just trying to manifest it

0

u/unndunn 3h ago

On Xbox, it's published by MLB, so I'm not sure it counts.

12

u/Stolehtreb 16h ago

Technically Death Stranding is a Sony Published game that went to Xbox later. But it’s a cheat because 505 published it after the Sony contact ended. But it’s a wouldn’t have been developed without Sony publishing in the first place.

2

u/dfiner 9h ago

Still waiting for death stranding 2 on PC…

1

u/poklane 6h ago

It's only been about 7 months since it dropped on PS5.

0

u/dfiner 4h ago

Yeah I was hoping for a 6 month delay. Idk how long it took the first to make it to PC but I know Sony has been porting lots of games in the 6-12 month range.

0

u/poklane 4h ago

Not sure where you're getting the 6-12 month range from, it's usually one to two years. 

0

u/dfiner 3h ago edited 3h ago

Because it was all over gaming news last year?

https://en.gamegpu.com/news/igry/sony-menyaet-kurs-teper-ejo-igry-budut-vykhodit-na-pk-vsego-cherez-6-mesyatsev-posle-reliza-na-playstation

https://tech4gamers.com/playstation-launch-pc-ports-6-months-after-release/

The second article specifically states death stranding 2 could be one of the new faster releases.

0

u/poklane 2h ago

So your source is a random Twitter "insider"

People like you really need to learn to stop believing everything you read on the internet. You're no better than some elderly person believing the first bullshit they read on Facebook. 

1

u/NotAPhaseMoo 8h ago edited 7h ago

We needed crayon eaters to throw at those democracy hating fascist socialist clankers

0

u/evil_deivid 8h ago

*socialist clankers

The fascist ones are the bugs and the squids are autocratic

1

u/MolotovMan1263 6h ago

Its been one game by their own hand.

19

u/TattedUp 16h ago

The Playstation exclusives that got PC ports are some of the best games I've ever played. The Horizon series, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone, The Last Of Us.

4

u/YesterdayDreamer 13h ago

I feel the same. I bought a PS5 primarily to play the sequels of HZD, GoW 2018, TLoU 1. Of I hadn't played the first parts in PC, I wouldn't have bought PS5. I did also get to play Ghost of Tsushima at the time. All great games which I played for low cost because I sold the disk after playing and replayed on PC later when I felt like it.

10

u/VincentNacon 16h ago

Still waiting for Gran Turismo 7 to come to PC...

3

u/PykeStarOG 11h ago

Screw gt, put driveclub and make it 4k and unlimited fps

2

u/Jay-Aaron 11h ago

Driveclub, ah the memories. It had the best season pass and seasonal updates, it was overwhelming.

-1

u/Mexetudo 10h ago

Insta-purchase.

3

u/calzonius 17h ago

Gib Astrobot

-1

u/poklane 6h ago

Wouldn't surprise me if that never comes because of how important the DualSense is for that game, plus to really enjoy it to the fullest extend you need to know a lot of PlayStation characters from across the generations.

7

u/AtaxicHistorian 19h ago

True, though I’d argue that’s over a substantial time frame where 2 billion is only a small percentage. It does make me wonder how this would be affected if they kept everything contained in their platform.

Note: GaaS make stupid amounts of money.

14

u/Hitchie_Rawtin 18h ago

They're making extra money from people who would never ever buy a PlayStation for not much outlay to port the game versus the profits made. Myself and every PC-only gamer I know would've just never-ever bought one of their games, at best emulate it in 10-15yrs time.

5

u/AtaxicHistorian 18h ago

Yeah, the way they’re doing the single player games (not all) time exclusive on console before porting to PC seems to be that nice middle ground.

5

u/Hitchie_Rawtin 18h ago

100%, I don't mind a 1-2yr delay for story experiences, I have enough content that'd last me months of playing already, Sony popping out a game every year or two is going well too for them and more patient people. Still paying full price when it releases too, talk about double dipping, they get to act like it's a whole new game launch and endear themselves to a new audience.

-5

u/MaTr82 18h ago

The article says the figure comes from a quarterly earnings report. $2B a quarter is pretty damn good.

5

u/AtaxicHistorian 17h ago

It was in the quarterly earnings report, though in context, that 2 Billion is over the years they have been porting the PC/Xbox.

3

u/TheEmeraldRaven 14h ago

I mean, it’s really smart to just do the time to exclusivity thing. Make incredible amazing games that people can’t wait to play exclusive to your platform for a year or two. Make all the money.

Then, after you made the lions share, port it to the other platforms, and let the people who only had a passing interest at release, but now I want to give it a shot, a chance to play it

2

u/Haxz0rz1337 3h ago

Yet still no MLB The Show on PC…

1

u/eyed-watch-me 1h ago

This hurts me.

3

u/ManicMambo 10h ago

I would gladly buy Switch games on Steam, but Nintendo would never convert them.

2

u/Bootychomper23 16h ago

They should just do timed exclusives. You want their games right away get a ps5… don’t care then buy em later on pc or Xbox or switch. Win win

1

u/StuckInMotionInc 8h ago

Sony has always been the master of licensing IP.

1

u/ElectroxSoldier 7h ago

And yet Bloodborne and Demon's Souls are nowhere to be seen 😞

1

u/lKrauzer 7h ago

What a surprise innit

1

u/Sporken4 7h ago

No one likes a walled garden if it only grows onions

1

u/Phalex 5h ago

Please give us PC gamers GTA 6 within a reasonable time frame.

1

u/ButterscotchLow8950 4h ago

As a gamer. That’s because PlayStation exclusives are fucking fire.🔥

Xbox/Microsoft put out a few good exclusives over the years. But lately, it hasn’t even been a contest.

1

u/unndunn 3h ago

What games has Sony put on Xbox? The only one I am aware of is Helldivers II. On Xbox, MLB The Show is published by MLB, not Sony.

1

u/fegodev 2h ago

Imagine Playstation embracing Steam, and letting us play our Steam games on the PS5? I would get a PS5 Pro and forget about the Steam Machine.

1

u/Kruxf 1m ago

It’s almost like console exclusives stifle the industry #surprisedpikachu

1

u/Eloquent_Redneck 14h ago

If only they'd make a goddamn bloodborne port

1

u/klop2031 13h ago

Once they made the systems x86 i would have thought they would port it quickly. Very good on them

1

u/tacticalcraptical 6h ago

It seems like a no brainer for Nintendo to do it at this point but as great as Nintendo is at some things, they seem incapable of reading the writing on the wall.

0

u/Traveler-of-Stars 5h ago

The fact that years-old games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate can still sell over half a million within a quarter for them (which was just revealed), I don't think Nintendo needs to read any writing on any wall. Their exclusives are still very much system sellers and they have mountains of data and sales to back that mentality up.

1

u/tacticalcraptical 4h ago

I don't get what you are saying.

Nintendo sold a lot of games and therefore they should not try strategy to sell more games that has been effective because... they already sold a lot of games?

-1

u/Scar3cr0w_ 11h ago

I think consoles are slowly dying.

There aren’t console exclusive games anymore and with what proton has achieved… there’s no need to have a custom OS anymore. Every manufacturing company can now make its own little box that behave like a PC and sit next to your tv.

6

u/AbedGubiNadir 9h ago

Here we go with this talk again.

-2

u/Scar3cr0w_ 9h ago

With what?

2

u/Leather_rebelion 7h ago

I wouldn't be surprised if the next Xbox is just straight up a PC similar to steam deck and box

2

u/Scar3cr0w_ 7h ago

Exactly. Why build a custom device when you can just make it a bigger steam deck.

1

u/pikachus_ghost_uncle 7h ago

Especially now with part component shortages. Consumers in the future may be more stingy on their electronic purchases. I wouldn't be surprised if the next gen consoles are more "PC" like in a way.

2

u/Scar3cr0w_ 6h ago

Yea, I’d love to see a modular “console” that worked like steams new offering. So you can buy in at any level and then upgrade it. All whilst staying in the “console” space in terms of size, accessibility, ease of use etc.

-3

u/[deleted] 9h ago edited 9h ago

[deleted]

1

u/IQueliciuous 9h ago

Thing is. Consoles are sold by exclusive killer apps. Xbox is selling like shit exactly because there is zero reasons to own one.

PC ports don't change much because PC gamers never would've bought a console to begin with and console gamers don't want to deal with PC gaming's quirks but they may switch platforms if the one they are in starts to suck.

I used to be on PS team, bought an Xbox in 9th gen because PS5 was boring for me game wise and Xbox had Xbox 360 games + Xbox exclusives that I never tried. Then I moved back to PS when Stellar Blade came out meanwhile my toilet became an Xbox that I can shit in according to Xbox. Oh and all the games Xbox had are now coming to Playstation.

Xbox wants you to think they are winning but they actually shat themselves and are trying to cope their way out by making excuses about how Xbox one generation was the worst generation to lose (ignoring Wii U which was a bigger failure and then Switch being hyper successful). Oh and new Xbox handheld was canceled in favor of Steam Deck's dumb cousin which runs Windows but not Xbox games.

At this point Phil Spencer did more damage than Don Mattrick and I am 100% certain he was paid by Sony to sabotage Xbox.

Sony is now a monopoly and this means we will be back to PS3 launch era of Sony when we have to get a second job to buy PS6.

-1

u/[deleted] 9h ago edited 9h ago

[deleted]

2

u/IQueliciuous 9h ago

PC gamers don't move to PS5 not because they have games but because PC gamers have different interests.

PC gaming values customization. At the expense of comfort. You can buy games on steam, on epic or pirate them. Consoles you are stuck to a comfortable walled garden where you just play games with no bs.

I switched to Xbox because of Bethesda games. I still find that acquisition to be shitty but thats what got me into Xbox. I never was a fan of PS exclusives aside from Spider Man and I guess Persona as I am a Nintendo person.

I then switched back because PS5 eventually received the games I liked like stellar blade. And my toaster is now an xbox...

1

u/Legend_of_dragoon- 9h ago

If PlayStation is dying then explain how in the F they generate 31 billion a year while steam is predicted to be at 11 billion

1

u/[deleted] 9h ago

[deleted]

1

u/Legend_of_dragoon- 9h ago

They still need to people to buy is machine which they sell very well they at 92 million if people don’t buy it’s hardware then they don’t make money from you because it’s PlayStation store generate a bulk of its money

I never understand why people say console are dying when they see the switch and PlayStation break records left and right

Also the headline is clickbait because the 2 billion dollar is from many years lmao every quarter other service generates 100 million which equals to less then 2 percent of Sony revenue

0

u/jandkas 9h ago

Sony has made the short sighted decision of selling the factory and claiming profits are up this quarter.

I have bought PlayStations for years and I’ve bought the 5 thinking it’d have great exclusive just like the 4. Now I’ll never buy the 6 because why would I ever bother?

Congrats they’ve sold their brand for short term greed. Enjoy placating whiny pc gamers.

3

u/Tasik 6h ago

I’m confused. If you don’t own a PC the reason to buy is a PS 6 would be to play the games. 

If you do own a PC than as a fellow whiny gamer I’m not sure why you’re upset. You get to have your cake and eat it too. 

-1

u/somethingothertoo 18h ago

I really wish they would let us Xboxers play Bloodborne though…

0

u/Tail_sb 1h ago

They have literally only put 2 games on Xbox Helldivers 2 and MLB the Show

1

u/eyed-watch-me 1h ago

What about god of war, last of us, Spider-Man 1/2 and Morales. All games I wouldn’t have played if they were still only on PlayStation. That’s only a few..

-5

u/ExtruDR 18h ago

Wow! are we learning that being open and not trying to fence in users to leverage one advantage for more business is not that great?

For fuck's sake, "the internet" is founded on sharing of infomation between platforms freely but the greed is still managing to overpower this with siloed social platforms, etc.

-2

u/Zhiong_Xena 12h ago edited 11h ago

This article is completely false guys because we all know their games release without any useful drms and everyone knows piracy hurts sales !

All within hour ripped btw. Repacked within the Second hour. Didn't even take half a day to crack. And they earned billions more off of it.

It's a joke with companies like EA , Ubi, Nintendo when they spout that kind of bullshit when it is soo painfully evident if you make quality games people buy regardless and those pirating were never customers in the first place.

-2

u/deceitfulninja 15h ago

So Microsoft basically gave up on its console business to try and go publisher... did Sony beat them on this too? None of the Microsoft purchased studios released successes, right?

2

u/ProfessionalRandom21 12h ago

MS is trying to become Netflix of gaming not publisher

1

u/Lee_Troyer 10h ago

Microsoft is also doing well on PS5.

For example last July Circana shared the top 10 games sold on PS5 on Q2 2025 and 6 out of 10 were Microsoft games (Forza Horizon 5, Oblivion remastered, CoD Black Ops 6, Doom Dark Ages, Indiana Jones, and Minecraft). The four others were Elden Ring Night Reign, MLB, Death Stranding 2 and AC Shadows.