Bluepoint tech lead hints at why Sony may 'pull back' on PC releases

PC gamers took a hit this week after rumors surfaced that Sony was pulling back from the PC market, and now Bluepoint Games' head of technology, Peter Dalton, has provided an explanation of the situation.

For those who don't know, Bluepoint Games was the studio that handled many of Sony's remakes and remasters. For example, Bluepoint was behind the renowned Shadow of the Colossus remake, as well as Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, God of War Collection, Demon's Souls (PS5, 2020), and the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Sony acquired the company in 2021, but this past February officially closed the developer, reportedly leading to the cancellation of a multiplayer God of War project slated for a 2025 release.

The studio's closure affected approximately 70 employees, and the former head of technology for Bluepoint has now commented on recent reports that Sony is pulling back from the PC market. These rumors, from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, sparked a lot of speculation, given that Sony has made billions from the PC market. Much of the speculation was based on Sony being scared of Project Helix, Microsoft's next-generation Xbox, which is slated to be a console/PC hybrid.

"A more interesting possibility is the rise of a Steam-based console ecosystem. Consoles largely exist because they provide a cheaper, simpler alternative to gaming PCs. For most households, a dedicated gaming console is easier to justify than building or maintaining a high-end PC," wrote Dalton in an X post

The pullback from the PC would be Sony doubling down on what it considers its best: exclusive titles. But there is possibly a bigger threat on the horizon to consider: SteamOS. As I explained in a previous article, Valve is about to enter the market with a console/PC hybrid that runs Steam, and if Sony is releasing PC versions of its games, they would likely release them on Steam, as they have done in the past. So, effectively, Sony would be giving what will soon be its direct competitor access to its main value proposition.

"However, if Valve releases a new Steam console that provides a console-like experience while still giving players access to the entire PC game library, that could become a very compelling option. In that scenario, if Sony were releasing all of its games day-and-date on PC, the Steam console could effectively offer the best of all worlds: console simplicity with the full breadth of PC gaming.

It would be quite ironic if, after decades of traditional console competition, Valve ultimately ended up winning the console war," wrote Dalton

If PlayStation games are released on Steam, a console buyer may consider going with the Steam Machine if it offers comparable performance to the other two consoles and can access both Microsoft and Sony's catalogues of titles. This same sentiment was recently echoed by Bluepoint head of technology Peter Dalton, who wrote in an X post that the Steam Machine could "become a very compelling offer" by offering the best option: console titles, simplicity, and access to PC games.

All of this comes down to the Steam Machine's price-to-performance when it releases. As for performance, Valve recently confirmed the requirements developers must meet for their titles to receive a Steam Machine Verified badge, essentially Valve's stamp of approval that the title meets a specific performance target on the Steam Machine.