With the next generation of gaming consoles expected to launch this November, Sony has pulled an unexpected move in an attempt to grow their install base.
They’re making one of the PlayStation 4’s biggest exclusive titles available on PC.
Horizon: Zero Dawn, developed by Guerrilla Games, was a brand new IP for the PS4. The game itself was a risk – a studio moving away from a well-established series to create something new to drive hardware sales – and it paid off spectacularly, having sold over 10 million copies.
A PC version is a surprise. It’s an unusual thing to happen. But it looks like a shrewd move by Sony, despite the predictable gnashing of teeth by some fanboys.
Sony is giving non-PlayStation owners an opportunity to play one of their best first-party games (that is, developed by a studio which Sony actually owns). And look at the timing. They’re doing it on the eve of the PlayStation 5 being officially launched.
One of the most anticipated titles for the PS5? A sequel to Horizon: Zero Dawn.
In the world of video games, PC gamers are the self-proclaimed ‘master race’. Their machines are more powerful than mainstream gaming consoles, and able to be upgraded as and when the user wants to. As consumers, they see console gaming as a step down.
But give them a chance to play Horizon: Zero Dawn and they may just love it.
As a revenue-driver the game is effectively done. This is a clever move by a business to squeeze more profit from an old asset, which now sells on PS4 for a budget SRP.
By inviting non-users into the Horizon: Zero Dawn universe, they stand to grow their user base as the new hardware looms ever closer.
The next challenge is to migrate them to the PS5 with the game’s sequel as the lure.