Sony seems to confirm singleplayer first-party PlayStation games will remain console exclusive

Sony may have confirmed that its new first-party singleplayer games will be exclusive to PlayStation consoles moving forward, and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier says this policy won't be a 'case-by-case basis' like Xbox's exclusivity plans.

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PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino recently spoke to Famitsu to celebrate the magazine's big 40th anniversary, and his comments lend strong credence to the reports that all future first-party singleplayer games from PlayStation Studios will be exclusive to Sony's consoles.

Nishino's response isn't a direct one and is laden with PR-speak, but the gist is that singleplayer games are meant to boost the value of PlayStation, and online live service games are meant to reach as many people as possible and will continue launching on PC.

Q. There have been reports suggesting that you might reconsider bringing PS5 titles to PC. Could you share your current thoughts on this?

A. Hideaki Nishino, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO: "We've always determined platform selection based on the characteristics of each title. If releasing a title on PC would maximize the gaming experience, we'll continue to consider that option.

"Our current main policy is that, for single-player games developed in-house, we will further refine the value of the gaming experience that PlayStation can offer. At the same time, we believe it is important for live-service games to reach a wider audience through online multiplayer, so we continue to view releases on both PS5 and PC as the standard.

"Regardless of the platform, we will make decisions based on the principle of delivering the best possible gaming experience that maximizes each title's unique features."

In a follow-up thread on ResetEra, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier says that this plan won't be tentative. Big marquee tentpole narrative singleplayer games will no longer launch on PC, as per behind-the-scenes studio messaging.

"I guess they're not going to lay this out publicly, but there's no ambiguity in their strategy.

"During a townhall a few weeks ago, Hermen Hulst told staff that their single-player narrative games will be PlayStation only, and he explained that they were inconsistent with their PC releases, they didn't make enough money, and they want to keep their IP aligned to their own platform. Confirmed this with two people who heard him say it. There's no 'case by case' here."

It's possible that Sony won't actually officially announce this change as to not potentially push away PC distribution partner Steam, however Sony's return to exclusivity comes at a time when the group has chosen to bolster the PlayStation brand instead of launching its sparse quantity of critically-acclaimed singleplayer games on other platforms.