Consoles to remain the core of PlayStation's business says co-CEO

PlayStation consoles aren’t going anywhere and will remain the core of the business for Sony Interactive Entertainment. That’s according to the company’s co-CEO and Platform Business Group Head Hideaki Nishino. Nishino spoke to the Japanese publication Nikkei recently (paywalled) and was asked if he could summarize the value of consoles.

In response, Nishino said the consoles would remain the core of PlayStation’s business. Some might have wondered how dedicated SIE remains to the console platform following its expansion to PC. By bringing some of its formerly PlayStation console-exclusive games to the PC game market, more players get to experience these games. And that’s a win-win for all involved. That being said, it may have cast doubt as to Sony’s far-future plans. Rest assured, SIE has no plans to step away from consoles.

Consoles will stay at the core of the PlayStation business because of the user experience

When talking about consoles as a platform for gaming, Nishino had more to say than just the fact that SIE remains committed to consoles. He briefly touches on the ad-laden experiences gamers can often have on mobile. Nishino also notes that while PCs have an expansive game market and plenty of performance, “PCs are difficult to set up.” Continuing further, he states that “with PlayStation, once you turn it on, you can experience the content you bought straight away.”

That ease of use for gamers is a big reason why Sony doesn’t want to stop supporting consoles. Nishino also says that products are laid out in an easy-to-understand way, speaking about the games and other content you can buy in the store on a console.

SIE simply wants to reach more customers

The most devout PlayStation fans might see Sony’s expansion to mobile and PC as a betrayal or a dwindling commitment to the console platform. However, it’s really not even close to that. Nishino states that Sony Interactive Entertainment is merely trying to widen its reach with customers. By expanding to mobile and PC, it can reach more people. Even with this new initiative, it won’t take away from the core PlayStation console strategy.

Sony still plans to give PlayStation console owners access to content well ahead of other platforms. This has generally been the case with its PC ports. Any games that have been exclusive to PS4 or PS5, have been so for at least a year or two before making the jump to PC. The quickest example of a port is perhaps Final Fantasy XVI. A game that launched on June 22 of last year for the PS5, and only recently made it to PC this week on September 17.

of course, this wasn’t a Sony game. But the release schedule remains similar. Other titles, such as God Of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Days Gone, were all PlayStation-only games for quite a while before getting official PC releases. That isn’t going to change. At least not anytime soon.