"It's almost like printing money": Former Sony exec says PC ports of PlayStation games are too valuable to ignore, and he wanted to see more first-party games come to PC

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Shuhei Yoshida says he pushed for PC ports before Sony fully supported the idea

Spider-Man 2 PC
(Image credit: PlayStation)

Releasing PlayStation's big games on PC via platforms like Steam is "almost like printing money," says former Sony Interactive Studios president and indie initiative boss Shuhei Yoshida.

Speaking to the Sacred Symbols+ podcast (paywalled, and reported by Push Square), Yoshida says he advocated for PC releases of first-party titles when he was president, but Sony wasn't keen on the idea at the time. However, after testing the waters with a few ports – which, technical issues aside, unsurprisingly found success on PC – and, not to mention, the massive simultaneous launch of Helldivers 2, the company has come around and learned to acknowledge the value of PC gaming.

"Releasing on PC does many things: it reaches a new audience who do not own consoles – especially in regions where consoles are not as popular," Yoshida says. "The idea is that those people may become fans of a particular franchise, and when a new game in that series comes out, they may be convinced to purchase a PlayStation."

The immediate financial value of such ports is also undeniable. "It also adds additional income, because porting to PC is way cheaper than creating an original title," Yoshida adds. "So, it’s almost like printing money. And that helps us to invest in new titles now that the cost of games has increased."

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.