PlayStation has long hoarded its big exclusive titles for PS4 and PS5 like treasure. But some of the big exclusive blockbusters are now coming to PC for Steam. Has this been worth it for Sony? How strongly do the titles perform on PC? MeinMMO has the answers.
Sony’s PlayStation manufacturers followed a clear strategy of shielding for many years: no crossplay, no release of exclusive titles on other platforms.
In 2019 / 2020, they softened this strategy. With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (late 2019), the first AAA title with comprehensive crossplay features came to the PlayStation. Then, in June 2020, the first PS exclusives arrived on Steam – the playable thrillers Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human.
There are already some former PlayStation Exclusive titles on Steam – MeinMMO shows you the titles and player numbers. If you are still looking for a PS5, check out our sales ticker:
3 Thrillers at launch – June 2020
What were those games? Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human are all emotional deep-dives about human fates and social problems.
As a player, you make decisions for the games’ main characters and discover how the world around them reacts to your behavior.
Heavy Rain was already 10 years old at Steam release, Beyond Two Souls just under 7 years, and Detroit around 3 years.
What did the numbers look like at Steam release? All 3 games were not real smash hits. However, some of the titles were already very old at the time of release. Detroit got off to the best start, attracting just over 7,000 players at the same time in the first month.
Heavy Rain managed just 720 players and Beyond Two Souls came in at 1,340. Detroit in particular is still going pretty well today – the release wasn’t topped, but they still regularly reach 3,000 concurrent players.
When do you have a hit on Steam? There are no real guidelines, but when a title reaches 100,000 concurrent players on Steam, it can be called a big hit. The Witcher 3 hit 100,000 at about its peak (January 2020).
Some games really explode on release, making even the Witcher numbers look tiny: The survival hit Valheim only appeared on Steam in Early Access and reached almost 500,000 players (February 2021). Elden Ring went even further, reaching 950,000 players.
For the PS Exclusives, meanwhile, such high numbers are not necessary for a minor hit. The titles have already done their due on the PlayStation. 50,000 players at release are already top here, but even 20,000 – 30,000 should be worth it for Sony.
Death Stranding – July 14, 2020
What kind of game is this? Dubbed by critics as a “walking simulator”, you explore a world to which something mysterious has happened. Although it doesn’t come from a Sony studio, it was announced at the time as a PS4 exclsuive.
You’ll transport goods through this broken world, indirectly exchange with other players, and uncover the mystery behind the memorable story.
Death Stranding was released on PlayStation on November 08, 2019.
What were the player numbers like at release? Death Stranding did much better than the thrillers of the first wave of PS exclusives. No wonder – the adventure game was less than a year old and the interesting gameplay approach generated a lot of interest.
The Steam release attracted over 32,000 players at the same time, putting it on par with the release of Marvels: Avengers and Fallout 76.
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Horizon: Zero Dawn – 08. August 2020
What kind of game is this? An end-time RPG set in a world where machines have taken over many of the tasks of animals. The crude animal-machines run around everywhere, luring with valuable materials and action-packed battles.
You yourself play a tribal hunter who, after an attack on her village, walks out into the vast open world to discover the gems of this world.
Horizon Zero Dawn came to PlayStation on February 28, 2017.
What did the player numbers look like at release? At release, the end-time RPG reached more than 55,000 concurrent players – a complete success for a second release.
Titles like Hitman, Fallout: New Vegas, Red Dead Redemption 2 or Conan Exiles were at this level at release.
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Days Gone – 18 May 2021
What kind of game is this? Another end-time RPG, but this time with zombies. You experience the story of the survivors of a pandemic and fire on your motorcycle through the open world of this destroyed world.
Days Gone will be released for the first time on PlayStation on April 26, 2019.
What did the player numbers look like at release? Days Gone reached a maximum of 27,450 simultaneous players and thus also celebrated a successful second spring.
It didn’t come close to the blockbuster Horizon, but titles like Titanfall 2, Age of Empires 3 or Batman: Arkham Knight are within reach.
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God of War – January 14, 2022
What kind of game is this? God of War has long been the go-to for PS exclusives. But earlier this year, the God of War actually came to Steam.
After massacring the ranks of the Greek gods, you now brawl your way through Norse mythology and have a son that expands the story and gameplay in a meaningful way.
God of War came to PlayStation on April 20, 2018.
What did the player numbers look like at release? The strongest release of a PS exclusive on Steam to date, God of War managed more than 73,500 concurrent players – a top figure for an almost 4 year old game celebrating a second release.
Age of Empires 4, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel are on the same level.
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Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered – August 12, 2022
What kind of game is this? In 1998, Sony secured exclusive rights to the superhero Spider-Man. If it says Spider-Man, Sony has something to do with it these days.
That’s true for movies and gaming. Bad for Spidey fans on PC and Xbox – the Spider-Man games are among the best superhero games ever. With the remaster of “Marvel’s Spider-Man” now recently went on Steam.
The original version went online on September 7, 2018.
What did the player numbers look like at release? It’s not quite enough for the level of God of War, but shortly after release, an impressive 66,000 concurrent players could be collected. Also a big hit for those responsible at Sony.
That puts it on par with BioShock: Infinite, the current cat hit Stray, or the zombie smash Back 4 Blood.
Which PS exclusives are planning a Steam release? Next up on Steam are the games in the Uncharted series, celebrated by many PlayStation fans. A release in October would be possible.
According to this, the trend continues, but PlayStation is meticulous about leaving enough time between the release on the consoles and a Steam release.
This also fits Sony’s proclaimed strategy. The titles are given time to initially generate large sales and to lure new players to the PlayStation with the help of the exclusive release.
Later, the games end up on PS Plus or even other platforms for a small cost, for a sort of second spring to generate more revenue. This is in contrast to Microsoft, who also want to make big games available right at release in their Xbox Game Pass.
You can read more about Sony’s streagie here: Sony buys studios to bring brand new MMOs to PS5 – but wants to keep developing single-players
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