Sony revealed that Uncharted 4 will be coming to PC in its most recent investor relations presentation. The presentation also revealed that more PC releases are planned in the future, with the Steam port of Days Gone and the upcoming Uncharted 4 port being the first.
In the same presentation, Sony also highlighted the fact that the importance of console sales has been steadily reducing over the years. In 2013, 48% of the company’s revenue was made up by console sales compared to 20% in 2020. Conversely, software, services, and peripherals now make up about 80% of SIE’s revenue structure, marking a major shift in the importance of IPs in the company’s business model.
To this, Sony has focused on its PlayStation Studios IPs as a “new growth vector”. The presentation points specifically to the PC release of Horizon Zero Dawn as an example of a successful off-console IP launch. The game reportedly made a +250% return on investment and created “new fans for [Sony’s] IP”. Additionally, the company hopes to target new geographies using these off-console launches, including China, Russia, and India. PlayStation Studios has already opened up its own Steam curator page in which a total of 41 games have been listed, with some yet to be revealed to the public.
The change in focus marks a major shift in focus for SIE. At the end of the section in question, the company states its intention for “a transformation from PlayStation’s current console-centric ecosystem to a future where large elements of our community extend beyond the console.” From the attached graphic, it seems as though Sony is hoping to achieve something similar to Microsoft’s Game Pass initiative.
Earlier this month on May 10, 2021, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End celebrated its 5th anniversary. A new movie starring Tom Holland is also currently in the works, with new stills featuring the actor and Mark Wahlberg having fans question exactly how faithful the adaptation will be. There is currently no confirmed date for the PC release of Uncharted 4, but we’ll be sure to keep readers abreast.
