Is the growing PC landscape a threat to PlayStation? Well, Sony doesn't seem fazed by it whatsoever, in new comments coming from a shareholders call.
One shareholder asked whether Sony's increased reliance on externally-made exclusives (like Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade) is to help boost the user transition from PS4 to PS5, and whether players might jump to PC instead.
"We are in the latter half of the console cycle for the PS5, and the number of PS5 titles has been increasing," Sony responded (translated from Japanese). "We have also confirmed internally that the transition of users from the PS4 to the PS5 is trending well. In addition, we see users tending to purchase more software when they switch to the PS5, which we see as a positive. In terms of losing users to PCs, we have neither confirmed that any such trend is underway, nor do we see it as a major risk, so far."
So, in other words, Sony is feeling confident about PS5's position. While the console's sales are trending slightly behind PS4, players are gradually moving up to the current console, and when they do, they're buying more games. Software is where the company can make money back to compensate for hardware's tight margins.
As for PC, Sony doesn't seem to be worried about it in the slightest, probably seeing it more as an opportunity to strengthen its software gains.
In a dissection of this topic on Windows Central, it's pointed out that Sony might be relaxed about the subject of PC because it's planning to lean into it even harder than it does already.
Whether PlayStation die-hards like it or not, a big part of the company's strategy the last few years (and for the foreseeable future) is bringing its first-party games to PC. Sony has released numerous PS Studios titles on Steam and Epic Games Store, with most of them launching years after their console debut.
Generally speaking, though, this window is narrowing. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is the next to make the jump, and it's launching about 15 months later than the PS5 version. After that, The Last of Us: Part II Remastered comes to PC in April, about the same timeframe as Spidey.
This is in line with Hermen Hulst's affirmation that single player games will arrive later, while multiplayer games will come day one to PC and PS5.
Helldivers 2 is the prime example of that, but LEGO Horizon Adventures also arrived on PC immediately, so it seems there's some flexibility in Hulst's mandate. It's proposed by Windows Central that this may become more frequent as production and marketing budgets balloon in scale.
It's hard to disagree with this stance; we suspect PC will indeed become more important to PlayStation in future, alongside mobile.
Budgets in the multiple hundreds of millions are feeling rickety when you consider that the audience for game consoles isn't really growing, and subscription services have pretty much plateaued as well. It stands to reason that Sony will need to continue branching out in order to keep supporting its blockbuster projects.
There's a fear, though, that PC could be a bit of a monkey's paw for Sony. It might provide some extra sales via Steam and Epic, but there's an argument that players may simply opt to stick with their computers rather than buy a PS5, or a PS6 in future. If you don't need a PS6 to play Bloodborne 2, why buy one?
It's something Sony isn't concerned about "so far", which is good to hear, but the industry moves very quickly. What'll happen if the PS6 falls well short of PS5's sales, with more choosing a PC instead?
Microsoft has been bringing its games to PC for a fair bit longer than Sony, and to help keep Xbox going, it's also begun releasing its software on rival consoles. We all know that the company's console sales have been dwindling, but it's unknown how big an impact PC has had on that.
Meanwhile, Nintendo's first-party games remain exclusive but it's still branching out in various ways, like making movies and mobile games, as well as opening attractions like Super Nintendo World and the Nintendo Museum.
It's a tricky tightrope for Sony to walk, though official word from the higher-ups does seem to indicate it's confident in the future of its consoles. PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino recently said so, and along with the company's answer above, it's clear that PC is still strictly a benefit for the business.