Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan has talked about the limiting nature of console exclusivity on PS5, in a new interview.
In a Fireside Chat with GamesIndustry.Biz, he talked about how he envied the music market, which had a much further reach than games due to the lack of platform restrictions.
“I see no reason why gaming shouldn’t be as ubiquitous as music, movies or TV shows”, he said.
Jim Ryan commented that gaming had already become much more present than it was previously, with way more demographics getting into gaming in recent years, not just on the Sony PlayStation system but overall.
“I’d like to see a world where the games that we make at PlayStation can be enjoyed by many tens of millions of people, perhaps hundreds of millions of people”, Jim said. “Right now, success with the existing console model, you’re talking really great PlayStation hit, you’re talking 10 or 20 million people to play that game”.
He then brought up his movie comparison, showing how much more growth you could have if you weren’t gated by owning an increasingly elusive piece of hardware.
“Music and movies, they can be enjoyed by almost limitless audiences. I think some of the art that our studios are making is some of the finest entertainment that’s been made anywhere in the world. To kind of gate the audience from that wonderful art that these studios are making at 20 to 30 million, it frustrates me”, he said. “I’d love to see a world where hundreds of millions of people could enjoy those games”.
His words certainly line up with Sony Interactive Entertainment’s actions in recent years. PlayStation Now is their subscription service allowing people to play even PlayStation exclusives on their PC. More titles are added to the platform every month, and it includes games not available on the current generation of PlayStation consoles.