
Jim Ryan, from Sony, explains why PlayStation Now does not offer PS4 exclusives from day one, something that does not seem to change.
The Xbox Game Pass competition has achieved that Sony's subscription and streaming service, PlayStation Now – which will also be on PS5 – has incorporated some improvements, such as a price drop or adding better and more recent titles, such as Persona 5, Hollow Knight or Middle Earth: Shadow of War. However, something that does not seem to change, at least in the short term, is to not offer the exclusive PlayStation 4 from its first day in stores.
According to the president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan, that's something that isn't even in the company's plans. For Sony, the launch of an exclusive is a special event, and they want it to continue being treated as such, not eclipsing it in any way. Or said in his words, they want to treat him with "special care."
A policy that will not change in the short term
"It's an area that changes quickly," Ryan begins by explaining. "The nature and scale of some of our first party games make us think that, for now, it is better to use energy to ensure that their releases are great events in mass entertainment. I would cite for example God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man or The Last of Us Part 2 next year. "
"That is our current thinking, but the inclusion of exclusives on PlayStation Now this month is very different from what we thought twelve months ago," Ryan continues, making it clear that they are open to change. "I don't want to say that PlayStation Now will always be like that, but right now, given that some of our first party games are incredibly special and valuable, we want to treat them with care and respect, and that they are clean releases."
In this way, Ryan reiterates that Sony are still thinking about changes to improve a service that began in a dubious way and has gradually become an alternative. As for his exclusive games, Uncharted 4: The outcome of the thief has been included for some time, adding the excellent God of War and more recently, Person 5. However, as we see, they are still far from considering including them from day 1 .