Is it almost mandatory in this age to release your multiplatform game day-and-date on PC in order for it to find growth and become a smash success?

Sumac · Jun 4, 2023

we have all these success stories from sega, Capcom, bandai where the PC audience is essential to their growth ...even Sony is going day-and-date with their liveservice games, nevermind Xbox with all their games... Hell, even squares biggest game is such a success because of its PC audience..

Meanwhile, late ports seem to underperform more often than not... it seems to me like the biggest thing you can do to grow your IP these days/make your new thing a success is to almost treat PC like your main platform, at the least it shouldn't play second fiddle to the other platforms, and release it on pc

AgeEighty · Jun 4, 2023

I wonder which game and/or thread could have prompted this

YukiroCTX · Jun 4, 2023

No. Zelda and God of War Ragnarok showed exclusives sell incredibly well. SM2 will also likely sell incredibly well more than SM1.

Keldroc · Jun 4, 2023

Not even a little bit.

Lt. Hannah Stone · Jun 4, 2023

I seriously doubt that is true.

Dolce · Jun 4, 2023

uh depends on the game? monster hunter rise was a smash success, for example. FFVII was very successful. Octopath 2 did worse as a multiplatform game than the first game.

the opposite is true in many cases, where growth on consoles is important to many games and series, over PC exclusives.

oty · Jun 4, 2023

AgeEighty said:
I wonder which game and/or thread could have prompted this

lmao, i do wonder

also, horizon, ghosts, spider man, gow, tlou....none of those needed pc for anything. that's why sony already confirmed their pc ports to drop 2-3 years after launch

and that's without talking about...Nintendo

Dolce said:
uh depends on the game? monster hunter rise was a smash success, for example. FFVII was very successful. Octopath 2 did worse as a multiplatform game than the first game.

that was SE's marketing fault tho. but that does kinda reinforce the main push was done by a major publisher (that time, Nintendo) which kinda proves your point also

BasilZero · Jun 4, 2023

Final Fantasy XVI will do okay.

But I wish it was day 1 on PC as well.

AgeEighty · Jun 4, 2023

YukiroCTX said:
No. Zelda and God of War Ragnarok showed exclusives sell incredibly well. SM2 will also likely sell incredibly well more than SM1.

The question isn't about exclusives, it's about multiplats where the PC version arrives late

i.e. the thread is about FFXVI

Deleted member 11543 · Jun 4, 2023

Didn't MHW release later on PC?

oxymoron · Jun 4, 2023

Good question, OP.

I've looked into it a little bit and it turns out that just last year, Sony released a port of Horizon Zero Dawn, a five-year old game, on PC and it sold several million (!) copies. It looks like the answer to your question, then, is no.

Hope this helps!

SupersonicHypertonic · Jun 4, 2023

Do console first develoed games do well on PC? I doubt the likes of king of multis like CoD or FIFA sell on PC similar to what they do on consoles and the likes of RE series or the PS "exclusives" like Spiderman or GoW match the same rates as they did console sales.

The answe is no, consoles games don't need a pc version to survive and vice versa.

ClickyCal' · Jun 4, 2023

MK8D has sold like 50 million.

nsilvias · Jun 4, 2023

third party games that dont release on multiple platforms is a mistake in 2023. pc especially. its where the most growth is happening in the core gaming market.

also first party games are irrelevant to the conversation as they have the backing of a company that has to sell hardware so theyll get center stage in marketing at events

Sumac · Jun 4, 2023

Dolce said:
uh depends on the game? monster hunter rise was a smash success, for example. FFVII was very successful. Octopath 2 did worse as a multiplatform game than the first game.

the opposite is true in many cases, where growth on consoles is important to many games and series, over PC exclusives.

Monster hunter rise is honestly the best example though... before world became a multiplatform smash hit especially on PC, it was heavily stagnating on Nintendo... after the IP found insane growth and an expanded audience with World, only then people took more notice of mh even on Nintendo hardware.. release Rise on Switch without world happening beforehand and no way would it have sold as much

RoboPlato · Jun 4, 2023

I think releasing a PC port that isn't plagued with issues and not I'll take months and months of patching to work right it probably more important at this point

Derbel McDillet · Jun 4, 2023

YukiroCTX said:
No. Zelda and God of War Ragnarok showed exclusives sell incredibly well. SM2 will also likely sell incredibly well more than SM1.

I think they're talking about games that are multiplatform at launch. Zelda isn't coming to PC, as awesome as that would be.

Androidsleeps · Jun 4, 2023

Yes and all third party publishers should be on board already, AND they should take all the recent disastrous PC ports seriously as that just cannot be the standard going forward. I understand why Sony and Nintendo would be hesitant, or rather opposing in Nintendo's case, but I hope that at least "the hits" make it to PC legitimately in the near future.

Dakkon · Jun 4, 2023

I don't care if it releases late as long as it's a good port.

Releasing your game 2-3 years late and then it still needing a year of patches to even be functional is embarassing.

Fanuilos · Jun 4, 2023

Depends on if they can handle optimizing a pc port on top of other platforms. If yes, then of course. Put it on pc at launch with the other platforms. If not, wait.

Sumac · Jun 4, 2023

YukiroCTX said:
No. Zelda and God of War Ragnarok showed exclusives sell incredibly well. SM2 will also likely sell incredibly well more than SM1.

kind of off topic because I'm talking about third party but while they sold incredibly well, they would obviously sell way more if they were multiplatform... GTA V and minecraft obviouslyl wouldn't have sold so much if they were exclusive

vernacherMV · Jun 4, 2023

Yes, buy maybe no. Not really a cut and dry topic.

oty · Jun 4, 2023

Sumac said:
kind of off topic because I'm talking about third party but while they sold incredibly well, they would obviously sell way more if they were multiplatform... GTA V and minecraft obviouslyl wouldn't have sold so much if they were exclusive

i mean, gta v was a late pc port wasn't it? i would consider that an extremely succesful launch schedule, so much so that i doubt gta vi will be any different

plus....not everything is about sales. clearly the main factor for your game to be a hitter is quality, and sometimes working on less platforms assure a higher level of quality. like, pretty sure the jedi survivor pc version didnt help anything with that game popularity

Sumac · Jun 4, 2023

oty said:
i mean, gta v was a late pc port wasn't it? i would consider that an extremely succesful launch schedule, so much so that i doubt gta vi will be any different

plus....not everything is about sales. clearly the main factor for your game to be a hitter is quality, and sometimes working on less platforms assure a higher level of quality. like, pretty sure the jedi survivor pc version didnt help anything with that game popularity

...for publishers obviously everything is about sales and making money, quality is also in support of bigger sale potential (and it's not like Jedi reviewed badly at all).. but like Jedi survivor would have obviously sold way less copies if it didn't also simultaneously release on PC no matter it's bad launch, the lesson for them here will not be that they should release the next star wars game on less platforms

Tagyhag · Jun 4, 2023

Not at all, but incredibly niche indies would hurt if they didn't come to PC, especially with zero marketing.

YukiroCTX · Jun 4, 2023

AgeEighty said:
The question isn't about exclusives, it's about multiplats where the PC version arrives late

i.e. the thread is about FFXVI

Sumac said:
kind of off topic because I'm talking about third party but while they sold incredibly well, they would obviously sell way more if they were multiplatform... GTA V and minecraft obviouslyl wouldn't have sold so much if they were exclusive

The thing is it doesn't matter if it's a first or third. Because It's very likely Sony doesn't distinguish it either especially how the market and sales wise with how they run things similarly to how partnerships works. You see it all the time to how they say it. It shows that a game on a singular platform can be immensely popular under right conditions. Why would a game made by a different publisher be any different? Like again take example, Spider-man, when it first released, Sony didn't own Spiderman game IP neither did they own Insomniac. Arguably, SM under activision didn't mean success was guaranteed either as they ran it into the ground because there's so many factors involved with a games success beyond just releasing on multiple platforms. There's so many different indie games that find success on single platforms as they make deals for marketing and greater presence than they would have if they made a game for multiple platforms.

Roliq · Jun 4, 2023

oty said:
that was SE's marketing fault tho. but that does kinda reinforce the main push was done by a major publisher (that time, Nintendo) which kinda proves your point also

Another game is Neo The World Ends with You, Square basically did shit to market it, it was insane how for E3 they couldn't be bothered to even have a single trailer for it (only be part of an end game reel) yet had segments for gacha stuff no one who watches cares about

The remaster of the original game got more marketing since it only released on Switch, is one of those situation where there is a chance it would have sold more as an exclusive

Duxxy3 · Jun 4, 2023

Early in last gen, no not really. Now though? I'm less certain. Personally I'm far more likely to get a game on PC than I was in the past. The new consoles are fine, but I can get the same game for $20+ less on PC.

Minthara · Jun 4, 2023

Anwer is no, you do not need to do anything, as long as the game you release is good, liked, and well-reviewed you could release it slowly on every platform and see very little problem. Persona 5 is an example of this.

The bigger issue is when it is not a giant hit or well-liked by much of anyone, then people on other platforms stop anticipating its release and when it finally does come out, it gets buried under all the other releases.

Spork4000 · Jun 4, 2023

No?

It's rarer these days, but I don't think it's ever really negatively affected a game.

oty · Jun 4, 2023

Sumac said:
...for publishers obviously everything is about sales and making money

uhhh not really? you mention square, that company that continuously reiterates that ffxv, that sold a freaking lot, did damage to company reputation. obviously sales are the number one thing (well actually profitability is) but there are other factors

Sumac said:
...for publishers obviously everything is about sales and making money, quality is also in support of bigger sale potential (and it's not like Jedi reviewed badly at all).. but like Jedi survivor would have obviously sold way less copies if it didn't also simultaneously release on PC no matter it's bad launch, the lesson for them here will not be that they should release the next star wars game on less platforms

the lesson for the next game is to guarantee quality, which can mean delaying certain versions. that's like the one thing people are asking for these companies. if you want to launch on multiple platforms, guarantee quality first

Derbel McDillet · Jun 4, 2023

Roliq said:
Another game is Neo The World Ends with You, Square basically did shit to market it, it was insane how for E3 they couldn't be bothered to even have a single trailer for it (only be part of an end game reel) yet had segments for gacha stuff no one who watches cares about

The remaster of the original game got more marketing since it only released on Switch, is one of those situation where there is a chance it would have sold more as an exclusive

I mean, between the three trailers since it's late 2022 announcement and demo before release, how much would have E3 trailer changed things? I'm not saying they couldn't have done more, but saying they did nothing is a stretch in reaction how it did sell. Why would it have sold more as an exclusive, where is that math coming from? Take away the version that ran at 60fps for what?

Sumac · Jun 4, 2023

YukiroCTX said:
The thing is it doesn't matter if it's a first or third. Because It's very likely Sony doesn't distinguish it either especially how the market and sales wise with how they run things similarly to how partnerships works. You see it all the time to how they say it. It shows that a game on a singular platform can be immensely popular under right conditions. Why would a game made by a different publisher be any different? Like again take example, Spider-man, when it first released, Sony didn't own Spiderman game IP neither did they own Insomniac. Arguably, SM under activision didn't mean success was guaranteed either as they ran it into the ground because there's so many factors involved with a games success beyond just releasing on multiple platforms. There's so many different indie games that find success on single platforms as they make deals for marketing and greater presence than they would have if they made a game for multiple platforms.

eh this goes both ways, though... like if insomniac spiderman would release day-and-date on PC, it would obviously sell way more as spider man is one of the biggest IPs in the world.... Instead though it "only" sold like 1.5 million copies on Pc in over half a year as a late port

that doesn't matter though, because like the other person said... It's in support of selling sonys hardware

Derbel McDillet said:
I mean, between the three trailers since it's late 2022 announcement and demo before release, how much would have E3 trailer changed things? I'm not saying they couldn't have done more, but saying they did nothing is a stretch in reaction how it did sell. Why would it have sold more as an exclusive, where is that math coming from? Take away the version that ran at 60fps for what?

especially as... The world ends with you also bombed in the ds, so it obviously doesn't have anything to do with platforms

s y · Jun 4, 2023

Not really. Look at Sports games, I think the PC release of NBA 2K is still on the last gen version. They clearly don't care about that audience and those games continue to sell ridiculous numbers.

NCR Ranger · Jun 4, 2023

If you want to cultivate a PC audience I would say yes. I would even go so far to say any third party publisher not taking the PC seriously, good day and date ports, are dumb fucks that are leaving money on the table. The console makers will play by their own rules as always.

thediamondage · Jun 4, 2023

gta 6 will be the true test case from our look at what publishers are thinking - do they think they will make more money from people double dipping, or from people in PC who will not buy console games anymore? Take Two has way more info and data to figure it out imo than Square Enix.

For most of the ps4 gen it was sorta true that you probably will make more money releasing on ps4 first then 12 months later on PC, but I think issues around actually getting a ps5 may have created a lot of people just sticking with PC and not bothering with a ps5. I know quite a few people who never picked up a ps5 and have no real interest, instead they upgraded their PC during the current times of easier to get 40xx GPUs.

I'm playing diablo 4 on xbox but almost everyone in my clan is on PC, which is kinda neat because I can see their (text) group chat in game but I don't even know how to chat on console lol

Commodore64 · Jun 4, 2023

I think it would be more accurate to say that if you took the time to do a good PC port, which is usually significantly more complicated than doing a console port, then you've also taken time to make sure other considerations are made to make that game more attractive to buyers.

jroc74 · Jun 4, 2023

No.

thediamondage said:
gta 6 will be the true test case from our look at what publishers are thinking - do they think they will make more money from people double dipping, or from people in PC who will not buy console games anymore? Take Two has way more info and data to figure it out imo than Square Enix.

For most of the ps4 gen it was sorta true that you probably will make more money releasing on ps4 first then 12 months later on PC, but I think issues around actually getting a ps5 may have created a lot of people just sticking with PC and not bothering with a ps5. I know quite a few people who never picked up a ps5 and have no real interest, instead they upgraded their PC during the current times of easier to get 40xx GPUs.

Also this.

As many times as this or similar topics come up, all multi platform games don't release on PC day one. GTA V being the biggest example.

Derbel McDillet · Jun 4, 2023

Sumac said:
especially as... The world ends with you also bombed in the ds, so it obviously doesn't have anything to do with platforms

I don't think that's true.

Rosebud · Jun 4, 2023

jroc74 said:
No.

Also this.

As many times as this or similar topics come up, all multi platform games don't release on PC day one. GTA V being the biggest example.

GTA V is from the PS360 gen though, PC gaming grew a LOT since then. RDR2 came a lot sooner

Zeal543 · Jun 4, 2023

no, in fact i'd say it isn't necessary for a majority of multiplat games

Rosebud · Jun 4, 2023

Zeal543 said:
no, in fact i'd say it isn't necessary for a majority of multiplat games

Publishers clearly don't think that, it's normal for games to skip one/two consoles but not PC

Sumac · Jun 4, 2023

Derbel McDillet said:
I don't think that's true.

the original release on ds never crossed 1 million copies as far as I know.. it was never explicitly named a sales success anyway by square

Alpheus · Jun 4, 2023

I think it is true if you (the company in question) wants to expand their PC audience, then I would say yes. But in general? No, if your exclusive is a known entity (like GoW:R and BotW/TotK or Rockstar anything) then you can definitely take the time to release on PC (b/c the PC release is it's own event if you're exclusive is that in demand).

But I think it highly depends on the priorities of the Developer/Publisher/Platform holder (assuming it's a 1st party game), you kinda take the hit if you do day and date if you value it as an investment for future titles, prepping the landing strip so to speak for the stuff that's coming just around the corner (relatively speaking).

But there is something to be said about lackluster post release support on PC (because that can also cost you in the long run in terms of audience cultivation) regarding squashing bugs and that all needs to be budgeted so it's kind of understandable if a company doesn't find it feasible to commit to that while also providing the same post release support (bugfixes not season pass/dlc stuff) to the console version (and that's assuming they get through to the other side of developing both versions side by side, prior to that step).

TeenageFBI · Jun 4, 2023

If you want to make the most money, a quality PC port on launch will get you there. But you can still have success with single platform exclusivity, obviously.

Celestial Descend · Jun 4, 2023

Mandatory? No. But it sure will make it a lot easier though. If a non first party game is not on PC day one, I won't buy it. Even when it hits PC eventually, I'll make sure to wait for at least 50% off. I do not support publishers who don't want my money.

foxuzamaki · Jun 4, 2023

Sumac said:
eh this goes both ways, though... like if insomniac spiderman would release day-and-date on PC, it would obviously sell way more as spider man is one of the biggest IPs in the world.... Instead though it "only" sold like 1.5 million copies on Pc in over half a year as a late port

that doesn't matter though, because like the other person said... It's in support of selling sonys hardware

especially as... The world ends with you also bombed in the ds, so it obviously doesn't have anything to do with platforms

The TWEWY port to switch sold well on switch however, to the point they were confident in neo, which they failed to market adequately

Sumac · Jun 4, 2023

foxuzamaki said:
The TWEWY port to switch sold well on switch however, to the point they were confident in neo, which they failed to market adequately

yeah could be... I just know the original on ds didn't sell well at all

Duxxy3 · Jun 4, 2023

s y said:
Not really. Look at Sports games, I think the PC release of NBA 2K is still on the last gen version. They clearly don't care about that audience and those games continue to sell ridiculous numbers.

I think it really is a game by game basis. Sports games haven't really caught on on PC. But Fromsoft not releasing a souls game on PC? Not a chance in hell. Too much of that market is on PC to skip.

Atom · Jun 4, 2023

Not really but it's probably a pathway to more success for a lot of publishers that have the means for releasing a PC port at launch.

If your game is hot shit you might be able to release later on PC and still see good sales. If your game is anything less, it will probably just disappear as PC gets tons of new titles all the time. You'd want to line up marketing synergies for launch as well and take advantage of the game being in the zeitgeist.

On top of this, sales on PC might not start amazingly. You have to make an effort to cultivate a PC audience, with a decent port and decent regional pricing can help. Selling your game through official keysites can also be a boost. Make sure the game has cloud saves, so on and so forth. The appeal of PC is that its a platform where your back catalog can just keep selling for ever, in the same way that Capcom derives a lot of revenue from catalog sales. Avoid EGS. A late port at a high price is also usually a death knell. So there an investment over time that companies will have to do.

It's totally possible to be successful without targeting PC, but it seems like a sensible sort of goal that a lot of developers could benefit from aspiring towards, as Sega and Capcom (and even increasingly Atlus) have shown. Square Enix kinda gets it, in that they put their AA stuff on PC, XIV is on PC, DQ11 launched on PC, but skipping other big titles, and, well, you end up slightly panicked about preorders or something lol.

Is it almost mandatory in this age to release your multiplatform game day-and-date on PC in order for it to find growth and become a smash success?

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