Former PlayStation boss explains why Sony put PlayStation-exclusive titles on PC and why that era is finally over

Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden remains a defender of Sony’s former PlayStation PC strategy, even as the company has stated that it will no longer bring PlayStation-exclusive titles to PC. Previously, there were rumors that PlayStation Studios Head Herman Hulst had recently shut down: PS5 games would be ported to PC on a “case-by-case” basis.

The former PlayStation boss spoke in an interview with the YouTube channel PSI and explained that the core philosophy behind bringing PlayStation exclusives to PC was never about raking in profits, but about expanding the reach of PlayStation’s beloved franchises to PC gamers and Xbox players alike. However, those days have come to an end due to inconsistent PC ports and a lack of word from Sony on future PC releases.

Shawn Layden candidly spoke in the interview and said:

“The PC thing, in my mind at the time, was not to make money, frankly. It was, ‘How do I get my intellectual property in front of people who wouldn’t normally see it? How do I get the world of Horizon to be seen by people who aren’t in the PlayStation world?’ Not necessarily because they’re going to buy a PlayStation; I wasn’t that crazy. But as we take our IPs across other media, whether it’s into film, television, comic books, or whatever, you need to have as many eyeballs as possible that are aware of this character and this story.”

He also added that the 1- to 18-month waiting period between timed-console exclusivity periods didn’t really affect PS5 unit sales. He continued, “If someone’s waiting 18 months for something to come on PC, we didn’t lose a sale to them. They weren’t going to buy the hardware anyway.”

Shawn Layden’s comments come at a time when Sony has reportedly barred PlayStation-exclusive titles from PC entirely, with already-released and upcoming titles like Ghost of Yotei, Marvel’s Wolverine, Intergalactic, Saros, and God of War: Laufey locked to the PS5 indefinitely.

However, live-service multiplayer titles released by Sony, such as Helldivers 2, will continue to receive support, alongside future multiplayer endeavors, to keep player counts high.

The only silver lining remaining is Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy, which initially launched its Remake episode as a timed PlayStation-exclusive.

The third and final entry in the Trilogy, Final Fantasy VII: Revelations, will release day one across all platforms, i.e., PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC in Spring 2027.