The latest sales leak from Sega reveals significant concerns regarding the negative influences of games being launched as PlayStation exclusives. Console exclusivity is a long-standing strategy within the gaming industry, where hardware manufacturers have sought to entice players to their platforms over competitors. Games exclusive to a console often dominate a platform’s lineup, featuring prominent franchises like Mario, Gran Turismo, and Halo, albeit with some multiplatform releases for titles like Halo.

Recently, a trend has developed where companies, like Sega, are moving away from complete exclusivity. Timed exclusives have become more common, where games are available only on a specific console for a limited duration before they reach rival platforms. Even franchises traditionally associated with PlayStation, such as Persona and Gears of War, have begun to appear on other consoles, reflecting a shift in market strategy.

According to Sega’s leaked data, the impact of Sony’s exclusivity policies appears detrimental to sales. For example, Persona 5 Royal, initially launched with great success, saw a dramatic sales decline, from 1 million units in the 2020 fiscal year to just 350,000 units by 2022. However, after becoming available on multiple platforms, its sales skyrocketed to over 1.5 million units each year since.

The success of Persona 5 Royal across all platforms may signal a pivotal change for Sony as well, prompting the company to consider expanding its exclusives to additional platforms. This transition is evident in the recent release of Stellar Blade on PC, which achieved 1 million copies sold on Steam within a week and has surpassed 3 million in total sales. Furthermore, rumors suggest that Stellar Blade might be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2.

Sony’s gradual move away from exclusive content is also affecting its popular in-house franchises. Following the success of The Last of Us Part 2, Sony made both that and The Last of Us Part 1 available on PC, alongside their 2022 Game of the Year winner, God of War Ragnarok, marking their debut on PC as well. This shift may indicate an evolving stance on exclusivity by this key player in the gaming landscape.