As consumers have begun to shift away from physical media, the way gamers play games has shifted significantly in a rather short amount of time. The perfect example of this shift is Xbox, which has begun to bring some of its marquee first-party franchises, like Gears of War and Forza Horizon, to PS5 to continue to grow its audience. Game Pass has also been a key factor in bringing Microsoft’s gaming brand beyond its gaming console. It seems Sony is taking some notes from its competitor and will begin to gradually shift away from its hardware-centric business model in favor of a platform business model focused on community and engagement.
Sony VP says PlayStation will gradually shift to “a platform business that expands the community and increases engagement.”
This new development comes from Sony Senior Vice President Sadahiko Hayakawa during the company’s FY2025 Q1 Earnings Briefing (H/T Genki via X). During the briefing, Hayakawa stated that Sony, in general, will focus on “creation,” which includes its gaming division, as well as music and film/TV divisions. He also said that this transition will help improve the company’s stability and profitability.
“In the gaming business, we are moving away from a hardware-centric business model more to a platform business that expands the community and increases engagement,” says Hayakawa.
It appears that this new focus is beginning to gain momentum in the coming months. PlayStation’s hit live service cooperative third-person shooter Helldivers 2 is coming to Xbox on August 26. Arrowhead Game Studios’ CEO Shams Jorjani claims that it was Sony that pushed for the game’s release on Microsoft’s gaming platform, saying it is “one of the coolest things they’ve done.”
On that same day, Gears of War: Reloaded launches for PS5, allowing PlayStation players to finally witness the beginning of Marcus Fenix’s fight against the Locust.
