The recent sales data leak from Sega has major implications for the impact of games launching as PlayStation exclusives, looking to be an overall detriment to the games’ sales. Console exclusivity is nothing new for the gaming industry as hardware developers have repeatedly looked for ways to attract new players to their platform over the competition. Console-exclusive games often serve as the highlights of a platform’s roster of games, including iconic franchises like Mario, Gran Turismo, and Halo, though Halo has seen PC releases. However, recent trends have seen developers like Sega shift away from exclusives.
While console exclusives have been a staple of the gaming industry, many developers have begun to soften their approach on exclusive games. Many new console exclusives are now released as “timed exclusives,” limited to a specific console for a set period of time before being made available on other platforms. Sony and Microsoft have even started to make previously exclusive franchises available on more consoles, bringing series like Persona and Gears of War to competing platforms. Now, a recent SEGA leak is showing just how detrimental Sony’s exclusivity policies can be.
Related
Rumor: PlayStation Console Exclusive is in Development for the Nintendo Switch 2
An incredibly popular PlayStation title may make its way to the recently released Nintendo Switch 2 in the near future, according to a new rumor.
The recently leaked sales figures from Sega have revealed an interesting fact about the effect of Sony’s console exclusivity on sales. Persona 5 Royal, listed at the top of the Atlus chart, shows a significant drop in sales following its launch, going from 1 million units in the 2020 fiscal year to just 350,000 in 2022. However, the launch of the game’s multi-platform port saw a massive spike, with Persona 5 Royal selling more than 1.5 million units in each of the past three years. Persona 5 Royal served as Atlus’ best-selling game since 2020, with more than 7 million total units sold.
Sega Sales Data Leak Shows Effects of Sony Exclusivity
The success of Persona 5 Royal on other platforms may have served as the push Sony needed to launch its exclusives on other platforms. Sony recently launched last year’s smash-hit RPG Stellar Blade on PC, with Stellar Blade selling 1 million copies on Steam in less than a week and surpassing 3 million units sold overall. Rumors have even suggested that Stellar Blade may come to the Switch 2 in the near future, with developer Shift Up reportedly already working on a port.
Sony’s slow transition away from console exclusivity has even reached some of the developer’s own in-house franchises. Following the success of The Last of Us Part 2, Sony would bring both the sequel and The Last of Us Part 1 as a remaster of the original game to PC. 2024 also saw another hit Sony game receiving a PC port for the first time, with 2022 Game of the Year winner God of War Ragnarok making the jump to PC. Sony’s recent multiplatform success may look to shift the developer’s longstanding position on console exclusivity.