OK, time for some good news: Sony's PS4 exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn is coming to PC this year, sources tell Kotaku. It's an unprecedented move that may help usher in a platform-agnostic future. https://t.co/1bXcUf2z3m
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) January 16, 2020
We expect to see the game on both Steam and the Epic Games Store when it launches (although that may not be finalized yet).Super weird. I really can't imagine having Horizon on Steam....
I really do worry about the industry at large though. Death of consoles would freaking suck even if we're all moving towards streaming anyway.It's kind of strange.
Horizon will be followed by others down the road - you don't need to Dream too hard to guess. But Xbox is already well-established launching games on PC at the same time, and eager to explore Switch...
— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsEG) January 16, 2020
It's kind of strange.Xbox makes some sense to merge with Windows. Microsoft makes both and Xbox One has had its fair share of struggles this gen. Their new approach probably sits better with investors and is forward thinking for when both consoles and PCs become streaming boxes.
On the one hand it seems like MS, Sony seem like they're heading towards getting rid of consoles. Consoles seem less important if you can play everything on PC.
On the other hand, a lot of mainstream games can already be played on PC. CoD, Assassin's Creed, GTA, and all the other big multiplats are already on PC. Yet plenty of people buy consoles to play those kinds of games.
It seems possible for consoles to stay relevant, not for the games, but for the convenience factor.Horizon will be followed by others down the road - you don't need to Dream too hard to guess. But Xbox is already well-established launching games on PC at the same time, and eager to explore Switch...
— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsEG) January 16, 2020
Editor at Eurogamer.
Xbox makes some sense to merge with Windows. Microsoft makes both and Xbox One has had its fair share of struggles this gen. Their new approach probably sits better with investors and is forward thinking for when both consoles and PCs become streaming boxes.Yeah, people will throw around accusations of fanboyism for saying things like that, but if Sony is really looking to undermine their own ecosystem just to make a couple bucks on their old first party games a couple years down the line, then I'd legitimately consider that a stupid move.
Sony however is in the opposite situation. PlayStation is one of their most important divisions and they gain essentially nothing from selling games on Windows. If people move out of the PlayStation ecosystem they lose PSN and PS+ money. It is literally just them transitioning to a 3rd party publisher with what is currently leaked.
I can really only make sense of this news if Sony is either doing this for select titles that make sense on a case by case basis (Horizon might be easy to port thanks to Death Stranding and Horizon 2 is coming soon for PS5, Dreams has greater potential on everything, MLB The Show was pushed for licensing reasons, etc.), or if they will shortly announce a major PC initiative that expands the PlayStation ecosystem to Windows. Something like PS Now can stream every single PS5 game.
Yeah, people will throw around accusations of fanboyism for saying things like thatVideo games bring out the inner child. It's both a positive and a negative at times. Plus it doesn't help that the vast majority of people don't know the business realities of being a platform holder, including us. It's pretty frustrating with this, Sony skipping E3, and XSX having cross gen exclusives. Games are changing and we should be able to discuss what this means. The general dismissiveness on the internet nowadays sucks.
Video games bring out the inner child. It's both a positive and a negative at times. Plus it doesn't help that the vast majority of people don't know the business realities of being a platform holder, including us. It's pretty frustrating with this, Sony skipping E3, and XSX having cross gen exclusives. Games are changing and we should be able to discuss what this means. The general dismissiveness on the internet nowadays sucks.Yes, it sucks big time. I mean yes we're all just arm chair analysts here, but does that mean we should just turn off our brain and accept anything these companies do as good (or bad depending on the internet's stance on the company) when it's announced? Everything is just black and white, no nuance allowed and it all needs to be taken at face value.
.Hermen Hulst Q&A: Interview with Head of PlayStation's Worldwide Studios - PlayStation.Blog.Europe (https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2020/03/10/hermen-hulst-qa-interview-with-head-of-playstations-worldwide-studios/)
Speaking of experimentation, there have been rumors of a Horizon Zero Dawn complete edition that might be coming to PC… can you confirm or deny that?
Yes, I can confirm that Horizon Zero Dawn is coming to PC this summer…. There will be more information coming from Guerrilla, from the new studio directors [Michiel van der Leeuw, JB van Beek, and Angie Smets] pretty soon.
PlayStation is no stranger to publishing titles on the PC, but Horizon: Zero Dawn is one of the largest games to make that leap. Is there anything you would say to PlayStation fans? What does it mean for the future?
Sure. I think it's important that we stay open to new ideas of how to introduce more people to PlayStation, and show people maybe what they've been missing out on.
And to maybe put a few minds at ease, releasing one first-party AAA title to PC doesn't necessarily mean that every game now will come to PC. In my mind, Horizon Zero Dawn was just a great fit in this particular instance. We don't have plans for day and date [PC releases], and we remain 100% committed to dedicated hardware.