Could we one day see Sony-made PSVR exclusives on other platforms? Sony’s Shawn Layden just made that seem like a possibility.
Speaking to Bloomberg in an interview this week Layden, stated that some of its first-party titles may need to access a “wider installed base” in the future. Bloomberg notes that this was in particular reference to multiplayer games perhaps coming to PCs.
“We must support the PlayStation platform — that is nonnegotiable,” Layden said. “That said, you will see in the future some titles coming out of my collection of studios which may need to lean into a wider installed base.”
Much of the wider press around these comments has focused on traditional gaming. But Layden’s remarks could mean big things for VR too. The install bases of current VR headsets is much lower than that of traditional consoles. Sony, for example, makes blockbuster exclusive games like Blood & Truth and Astro Bot, then sells them PSVR owners. According to Sony’s last update, PSVR has sold around 4.2 million units since launch. That’s thought to be more than most headsets, but still a fraction of the PS4’s sales.
Last month, Oculus’ Jason Rubin noted that he would be open to trading some of the Oculus Studios titles made for the Oculus Rift with PSVR exclusives. At the time it seemed like a pipedream, but Layden’s comments have us wondering if that could change. Maybe we could see Lone Echo on PSVR and Blood & Truth on Oculus Rift in the near future after all. Perhaps when PlayStation catches up with PC horsepower with its next console, we’ll see that finally happen.
