Sony hints at bringing more PS games to PC and cloud

During a chat with Nicolai Tangem, the CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, Sony’s CEO Kenichiro Yoshida delved into various aspects of the Japanese company’s operations. As a tech-focused publication, what really caught our eye were the insights Yoshida shared about Sony’s gaming division, encompassing PlayStation, and artificial intelligence (AI). That’s the scoop we’ll be diving into in this article. Let’s get into it.

When Nicolai questioned Yoshida about his vision for the future of gaming, Yoshida kept it brief, saying, “In short, it will be ubiquitous. Wherever there is computing, users will be able to play their favorite games seamlessly.” He further added, “While PlayStation will remain our core product, we will expand our gaming experiences to PC, mobile, and cloud.”

These remarks hint that Sony is gearing up to make more of its games, currently exclusive to PlayStation, available on PC (Windows and Mac) in the coming times.

According to a report from Newzoo, console gaming is projected to grow by 1.9% this year, while PC gaming is expected to see a 3.9% growth. This indicates that Sony might face challenges in expanding its presence in the console market, especially with competition from Microsoft and Nintendo. To boost its gaming business, Sony seems poised to step into PC gaming, following a strategy similar to Nintendo. Microsoft, on the flip side, is already well-established in the PC gaming scene.

When Nicolai inquired about the impact of AI on how we consume entertainment, Yoshida shared his perspective, stating, “The convergence of computing and entertainment is a megatrend, and AI is also born out of computing. So, we cannot get in the way of technology but at the same time, entertainment is a people business. For example, it is technically possible to create a movie scene in which Tom Hanks speaks Japanese with perfect lip sync but should we? That is a question.”

“The content that forms the basis of entertainment is creator-generated and copyrighted. [The] creator’s involvement is essential. Therefore, Sony positions AI as a technology that supports creators. AI should not replace them. One example is [a] game. [A] game is computer software. It is made by programming language. LLM, large language model[s], will help streamline game development allowing creators to focus more on creativity.”