God of War PC port was in development for 2 years [Game Informer Interview w/Cory Barlog & Matt DeWald]

[Mass Effect]

I imagine all the developers annoying Sony into submission like this:

Yeah it's weird to see the PlayStation putting the most effort into their PC versions compared to other publishers and even Xbox a lot of the time.

Click to shrink...

Yeah I've been less than happy with Microsoft's recent PC versions. Whether that's super basic stuff like Forza not hiding your cursor if you're using a controller or Halo being completely unoptimized and the way it handles game settings is just odd.

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Yeah it feels strange seeing Sony seemingly start to have better PC ports compared to Microsoft's recent efforts. I mean MS' ports aren't awful, but they could definitely be better, specifically regarding Halo and FH5. I hope that Sony keeps up the quality and Microsoft improves theirs.

 

[J-Skee]

It would be wild if they added keyboard & mouse support to Ragnarok, but I can't imagine Sony would want another controller input alongside the DualSense.

 

[Pheonix]

2 years? Makes sense why Sony wanted Nixxes.


Yeah it's weird to see the PlayStation putting the most effort into their PC versions compared to other publishers and even Xbox a lot of the time.

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This doesn't say much though... two years with a team of like10 people are very different from2 years with a team of 100. But yes, definitely why sony wanted Nixxes. Have a studio whose sole job is tomakePCports of their games. They would likely be working on multiple ports simultaneously.

Even Microsoft hasn't fully embraced PC tech like DLSS yet, while Sony is championing it with their ports.

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To be fair, MSis releasing games day and date on both Xbox and PC platforms. Its perfectly understandable why they wouldn't focus on PC-specific features that their consoles do not even support. So basically, MS is making as close to one version of their game and releasing that on different platforms, whereas sony has the luxury of re-releasing their game 2-4 years later on the PC platform. Surely they can and will do more with their ports.

 

[WonderingRogue]

To be fair, MSis releasing games day and date on both Xbox and PC platforms. Its perfectly understandable why they wouldn't focus on PC-specific features that their consoles do not even support. So basically, MS is making as close to one version of their game and releasing that on different platforms, whereas sony has the luxury of re-releasing their game 2-4 years later on the PC platform. Surely they can and will do more with their ports.

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That's a good point. Though it would be nice ot see stuff like DLSS come in as updates later down the pipe.

 

[Pheonix]

Instead of porting future games, they should just develop the PC version alongside the console version from the start. It's probably why they bought Nixxes anyway.

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Not gonna happen. Can't even happen.

Nixxes is there to make sure that competent ports show up between 18 - 24 months later. And while studio A is building a game for PS5, Nixes is probably working on ports from studios B and C from the previous year simultaneously.

Sony does not and will not even want their games released on the PS and PC simultaneously. That's platform suicide.

 

[Rayasab]

And people here say "why not porting **** to ****, dumb publishers leaving money on the table!!" lol

 

[Deleted member 93062]

Sony does not and will not even want their games released on the PS and PC simultaneously. That's platform suicide.

Click to shrink...

It's not. Sony is the de facto gaming machine for a lot of the world, that's partly due to their exclusives but mostly because people just want a console to play Fortnite, COD, and FIFA on. Xbox Series is the best selling Xbox ever after they not only release games day and date on PC but even have Game Pass (for cheaper) on it. Sony will be just fine if/when they release day and date.

 

[AshenOne]

Not gonna happen. Can't even happen.

Nixxes is there to make sure that competent ports show up between 18 - 24 months later. And while studio A is building a game for PS5, Nixes is probably working on ports from studios B and C from the previous year simultaneously.

Sony does not and will not even want their games released on the PS and PC simultaneously. That's platform suicide.

Click to shrink...

Uhh...this post might not age well when the end of this gen comes... at the very least if you think that they won't start developing ports close to or alongside their console counterparts.. i think you'll be proven wrong in this regard. There is no way the 2-4 years gap remains some years down the road with the way sony are investing in the PC gaming space for their 1st parties..

 

[Mórríoghain]

When are we going to see dualsense like features in a mouse and keyboard? 🤔

 

[Mass Effect]

That's a good point. Though it would be nice ot see stuff like DLSS come in as updates later down the pipe.

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I doubt we'll get DLSS in MS games because of their deal with AMD regarding PC ports.

It will unfortunately be FSR instead.

 

[Pariah]

Yes, when you're the most public face of a team and go out of your way to voice an opinion on social networks opposite to the public record of your employer (meanwhile bringing others in the process), I'd say that qualifies as a little, everyday tantrum. But it's no big deal, and besides, I doubt he was being honest about it, because...

Also this was in 2019, before they started development for PC port. So the timelines don't even match up.

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It was almost November in that year; by their own statements, active production started barely a month after this. It's impossible to believe they weren't already discussing how to do it only weeks before doing it.

 

[Pheonix]

It's not. Sony is the de facto gaming machine for a lot of the world, that's partly due to their exclusives but mostly because people just want a console to play Fortnite, COD, and FIFA on. Xbox Series is the best selling Xbox ever after they not only release games day and date on PC but even have Game Pass (for cheaper) on it. Sony will be just fine if/when they release day and date.

Click to shrink...

XBS is doing well because of gamepass. Because xbox has become platform-agnostic as a console can be. Sony will not do that. And while it will ot decimate PlayStation sales, it will temper the draw of their platform a little when it is known that you DO NOT need a Playstation to play PS games. Sony wants you to own a Plantation, they want you to pay for PS+, hey would even prfer you to buy your games on the PS store. None of that is helped by having the best versions of the very same games released on a PC the same day and date. This can work for MS because they don't really care if you won an Xbox anymore.

All they care is that you are paying for gamepass.

Uhh...this post might not age well when the end of this gen comes... at the very least if you think that they won't start developing ports close to or alongside their console counterparts.. i think you'll be proven wrong in this regard. There is no way the 2-4 years gap remains some years down the road with the way sony are investing in the PC gaming space for their 1st parties..

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I don't expect there to be a 4-year gap anymore.... I will just repeat something I said in another thread.

This is how I see sony releases going henceforth:
Intial release > Price drop (6-18 month window) > Services release (12 - 24month window) > PC port (24+ monnth window).

Now what will determine how long or short the window will be, will be how well the IP is performing.

But as it stands, I do not see the best performing PS games taking anything less than 2 years before they make their way to the PC. To me, its a business and common sense thing, there are many avenues sony will need their IPs to push before they are like, ok, lets release it on the PC. Especially when you consider that even with all the PS price drops, availability on onPS+...etc they can still sell the game on the PC 4 years later for $50. Cutting that down to 2 years would actually seem like progress.

 

[daninthemix]

I legitimately believe we won't see any of Sony's PS5 games ported to PC until at least the PS6 has launched.

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No they'll start before long. And at that point there'll be no "it's running in PS4 Compatibility Mode" to hide behind...

 

[Det]

Yes, when you're the most public face of a team and go out of your way to voice an opinion on social networks opposite to the public record of your employer (meanwhile bringing others in the process), I'd say that qualifies as a little, everyday tantrum. But it's no big deal, and besides, I doubt he was being honest about it, because...
It was almost November in that year; by their own statements, active production started barely a month after this. It's impossible to believe they weren't already discussing how to do it only weeks before doing it.

Click to shrink...

If you genuinely think thats a public tantrum knowing his personality, I don't know how you get through life. This is one of the most bizarre take's I've seen.

 

[ThatNerdGUI]

I legitimately believe we won't see any of Sony's PS5 games ported to PC until at least the PS6 has launched.

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The GeForce Now leak which has been pretty accurate had multiple PS5 games coming to PC this year. I think we're going to start seeing the PC ports come in way sooner than people think.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Sony does not and will not even want their games released on the PS and PC simultaneously. That's platform suicide.

Click to shrink...

Not this again...

it will temper the draw of their platform a little when it is known that you DO NOT need a Playstation to play PS games.

Click to shrink...

12, 18, 24 months later instead of Day 1 doesn't change this

All they care is that you are paying for gamepass.

Click to shrink...

Millions of people are playing Xbox games on PC without ever subbing to Game Pass

 

[Deleted member 93062]

XBS is doing well because of gamepass. Because xbox has become platform-agnostic as a console can be. Sony will not do that. And while it will ot decimate PlayStation sales, it will temper the draw of their platform a little when it is known that you DO NOT need a Playstation to play PS games. Sony wants you to own a Plantation, they want you to pay for PS+, hey would even prfer you to buy your games on the PS store. None of that is helped by having the best versions of the very same games released on a PC the same day and date. This can work for MS because they don't really care if you won an Xbox anymore.

All they care is that you are paying for gamepass.

Click to shrink...

For the few people who don't buy a PlayStation because Sony is releasing their games on PC, there are tens of millions of people on PC, who wouldn't have bought a PlayStation in the first place, that now are able to hand Sony money for very little extra work and there are tens of millions of people who will continue to buy PlayStations because it's their main gaming system, they prefer consoles, and/or they don't care for PC. Sony recognizes this, it's why a lot of their third party exclusivity deals don't exclude PC nowadays. Deathloop? Day one PC. Babylon's Fall? Day one PC. Forspoken? Day one PC. KOTOR remake? Day one PC. GhostWire: Tokyo? Day one PC. It's only a matter of time before they apply this philosophy to all their releases.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

I legitimately believe we won't see any of Sony's PS5 games ported to PC until at least the PS6 has launched.

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I bet Demon's Souls and Returnal will both be on PC by sometime next year

 

[reclaimerzzzzz]

Yes, when you're the most public face of a team and go out of your way to voice an opinion on social networks opposite to the public record of your employer (meanwhile bringing others in the process), I'd say that qualifies as a little, everyday tantrum. But it's no big deal, and besides, I doubt he was being honest about it, because...
It was almost November in that year; by their own statements, active production starting barely a month after this. It's impossible to believe they weren't already discussing how to do it only weeks before doing it.

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I think you have a different definition for what qualifies as a tantrum, a tantrum is a kid wailing on the ground because they didn't get what they wanted, a grown man politely answering a question on twitter in no way qualifies as "a little, everyday tantrum". Even googling "tantrum" shows pictures of crying children.

And all he said was that he would love that, it's not impossible to conceive that discussions were still taking place in Oct/Nov of 2019, when he made the statement, before starting development in 2020. Even if he was lying, how is that a tantrum?

 

[CosmicGP]

What the hell. I know a PC port is not a simple matter of just flipping a switch, but I thought it's just something that "needed some work", not two whole years of it.

 

[poklane]

Sony does not and will not even want their games released on the PS and PC simultaneously. That's platform suicide.

Click to shrink...

I'd seriously be shocked if by the end of the generation not all of Sony's games are day on PC day 1. The GeForce leak already shows that Sony is gonna start to put out PC releases increasingly closer to the console releases, day 1 will happen as soon as the studios have hired the necessary people to make it possible.

 

[Pheonix]

12, 18, 24 months later instead of Day 1 doesn't change this

Millions of people are playing Xbox games on PC without ever subbing to Game Pass

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Yes... it does. And those are millions of f people that will have to buy a PS console or PS+ subscription. Why not see how many of those millions of people you can make buy a console just so they can play your games earlier. WHere and when you stand to make the most money from them.

For the few people who don't buy a PlayStation because Sony is releasing their games on PC, there are tens of millions of people on PC, who wouldn't have bought a PlayStation in the first place, that now have access to hand Sony money for very little extra work and there are tens of millions of people who will continue to buy PlayStations because it's their main gaming system, they prefer consoles, and/or they don't care for PC. Sony recognizes this, it's why a lot of their third party exclusivity deals don't exclude PC nowadays. Deathloop? Day one PC. Babylon's Fall? Day one PC. Forsaken? Day one PC. KOTOR remake? Day one PC. It's only a matter of time before they apply this philosophy to all their releases.

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Deathloop is not made by sony. It's a PlayStation "console" exclusive. Same as Foraken.... hell. notice how every game you mentioned is "owned" by sony?

I am talking about PS Studio Exclusives. And I don't get it, are people really trying to argue or make a case for there being no benefit to sony making sure their own IPs are exclusive to the Playstation platform for at least some time before they release them on the PC?

Like.... did the whole concept of exclusivity and its benefits just suddenly get lost on everyone?

 

[Deleted member 93062]

Deathloop is not made by sony. It's a PlayStation "console" exclusive. Same as Foraken.... hell. notice how every game you mentioned is "owned" by sony?

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Did you read the very next sentence? I'm saying Sony understands that releasing PlayStation exclusives day and date PC doesn't really hurt their console sales which is why they don't games fully exclusive as often as they used to. This is something they will eventually extend to all their game releases, including ones owned by Sony.

Like.... did the whole concept of exclusivity and its benefits just suddenly get lost on everyone?

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Exclusivity definitely has benefits, it's just Sony isn't really competing with PC. They're competing with Nintendo and Xbox.

 

[Shemhazai]

public tantrum? lollllllll where did this happen?


Please don't tell me this is what you're talking about........

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Best part of this tweet is he never actually denies anything. Just three accurate statements.
- He would love it.
- The decision isn't his.
- He's not got the pull of Kojima.

At no point does he say "We're not currently thinking / working on GoW for PC."
Utter troll of a man. Love it.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Yes... it does. And those are millions of f people that will have to buy a PS console or PS+ subscription. Why not see how many of those millions of people you can make buy a console just so they can play your games earlier. WHere and when you stand to make the most money from them.

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Because the vast majority of those PC gamers have no desire to buy a PS5 (or an Xbox). Ever. And the ones that do aren't likely to spend much money on the platform anyway. People are interested in the games, on the platform they already own.

 

[cowbanana]

Like.... did the whole concept of exclusivity and its benefits just suddenly get lost on everyone?

Click to shrink...

Microsoft stopped caring and now they're getting my money day one on Steam for games like Forza Horizon 5 etc. If they were console exclsuive they would have gotten zero bucks from me. I don't even have the slightest interest in Game Pass.

What would Sony lose by me buying their games day one on PC? I pretty much only buy their exclusives anyway and they make very little from me buying their hardware. At the moment I can't even buy their hardware and thus they are selling no games to me. My PC is ready and Sony is coming around to this, just a little slower than Microsoft.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

Instead of porting future games, they should just develop the PC version alongside the console version from the start. It's probably why they bought Nixxes anyway.

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Hell yes

 

[Combichristoffersen]

lol

Sony: "Fine we'll do PC ports, quit spamming the suggestion box".

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And yet they never respond to my suggestions for remakes of MediEvil 2 and Ghosthunter :(

 

[disparate]

It makes sense that studios pushed for this, when you pride yourself on the fidelity and cinematic-ness of your game, being console exclusively is just farcical.

 

[Deku_o4a]

GeForce leak already mentions Demon's Souls, Returnal, and Sackboy. Returnal and Sackboy have the "EarliestStreetDate" column filled out.

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Basically this and I'm hyped as hell for all of those.

 

[Lashley]

"Day 1 releases will kill console sales!"

Xbox Series X/S consoles continue to sell at a record pace, Microsoft has claimed | VGC

Amid shortages, Phil Spencer says “supply is actually as big as it’s ever been”…

www.videogameschronicle.com

"At this point, we've sold more of this generation of Xboxes, which is Xbox Series X and S, than we had any previous version of Xboxes. So it's our job to get the supply there to meet that demand."

Click to shrink...

Yup, Xbox is dead.

 

[Deleted member 93062]

Instead of porting future games, they should just develop the PC version alongside the console version from the start. It's probably why they bought Nixxes anyway.

Click to shrink...

Based on GFN leaks this is already occurring, HFW and GT7 were listed months before their release. Hell, HFW even had a release date for September 2022. However, I think that was before it got delayed for PlayStation. I imagine Sony wants to keep a one-year window for a little bit.

 

[Rowsdower]

"Day 1 releases will kill console sales!"

Xbox Series X/S consoles continue to sell at a record pace, Microsoft has claimed | VGC

Amid shortages, Phil Spencer says “supply is actually as big as it’s ever been”…

www.videogameschronicle.com

Yup, Xbox is dead.

Click to shrink...

Honestly, Sony's main issue now is producing enough PS5's. If they had ample stock, they would likely be over 15mil (being conservative) sold by now.

 

[impingu1984]

Regarding day one releases on PC... I think it'll happen eventually with Sony first party stuff ..

There are plenty of people who will happily buy the games but will never buy a PS console (hi I'm one of these).. and plenty that will buy the games and never buy a PC but own a PS console

The cross over I think is smaller than people think...

So it doesn't really make sense to hold the game back from PC on day 1 .. in fact I think the only reason we have a gap right now is they are basically just working through the backlog of first party titles..

If released on PC at launch they can sell at the max price and upsell the DLC etc, rather than selling a single "complete edition" later..

It just makes sense to release on PC day 1 once they can..

 

[Jaded Alyx]

At the moment I can't even buy their hardware and thus they are selling no games to me.

Click to shrink...

Lol good point.

 

[boontobias]

I havent played this game since it came out 20 years ago. Super excited for the nostalgia. Let's go

 

[JigglesBunny]

The bloodborne box is probably overflowing into 8 other boxes and a full voicemail box

Click to shrink...

ResetEra doesn't have access to the suggestion boxes.

 

[JJD]

Interesting (and not very reassuring) that releasing games on PC was not something that PlayStation wanted to do, it was something that their devs pushed then into doing.

I hope after the Nixes purchase it is something that they are taking more seriously.

Ideally they would release at the same day, but I can't see Sony doing it. Hopefully from now on it won't take more than a year.

Curious about their thoughts on their sales numbers.

 

[SuperBoss]

I remember he had made it very clear in the past that he wanted the game to be on PC. Sadly he didnt say much about Ragnarok being ported to PC, but hopefully if GOW sells really well, then Sony might be inclined to release it within 2 years

Click to shrink...

I don't think it'll be 2 years. It'll probably be whenever console sales are saturated. Which could be 2 years but i think it'd be longer than that.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I havent played this game since it came out 20 years ago. Super excited for the nostalgia. Let's go

Click to shrink...

Uhhh.... This is not the OG GoW game. This is the 2018 game.

 

[My Tulpa]

They're definitely coming to PC at some point, they were listed on the Nvidia leak!

Edit: Ragnarok wasn't on there, just Forbidden West.

Click to shrink...

I can't imagine why Forbidden West would be on PC and not Ragnarok. Doesn't make any sense to argue otherwise.

I am talking about PS Studio Exclusives. And I don't get it, are people really trying to argue or make a case for there being no benefit to sony making sure their own IPs are exclusive to the Playstation platform for at least some time before they release them on the PC?

Like.... did the whole concept of exclusivity and its benefits just suddenly get lost on everyone?

Click to shrink...

Sony is moving PlayStation to a service oriented platform (they said as much in the past and Microsoft is already proven it's value)

Sony exclusives will help push their service. Hardware exclusivity just doesn't make much sense going forward for 3rd party gaming service platforms

 

[Det]

ResetEra doesn't have access to the suggestion boxes.

Click to shrink...

But imagine if we did. Think of all the obscure shit that would be in that suggestions box.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

But imagine if we did. Think of all the obscure shit that would be in that suggestions box.

Click to shrink...

Sony plz remake Motor Toon Grand Prix with GT7 visuals. It would sell billions!

Just a suggestion ofc

 

[My Tulpa]

Sony does not and will not even want their games released on the PS and PC simultaneously. That's platform suicide.

Click to shrink...

PlayStation is primarily a 3rd party gaming service platform.

The only way they can continue to function as this going forward is to move to being more hardware agnostic

 

[MisterB_66]

But imagine if we did. Think of all the obscure shit that would be in that suggestions box.

Click to shrink...

"You know those games that require me to interact with other humans to play? Stop making them."

 

[HStallion]

Not gonna happen. Can't even happen.

Nixxes is there to make sure that competent ports show up between 18 - 24 months later. And while studio A is building a game for PS5, Nixes is probably working on ports from studios B and C from the previous year simultaneously.

Sony does not and will not even want their games released on the PS and PC simultaneously. That's platform suicide.

Click to shrink...

I feel like I saw a variant of this post back when we were discussing whether Sony would release any of their first party games in the PC whatsoever.

 

[Alek]

Hopefully multiplayer games will come even quicker, even day 1 would be nice, so that there is a bigger player pool.

Click to shrink...

Outside of games that force crossplay (like Battlefield 2042, which is a mess), I don't see how the larger player pool would benefit the console player base honestly.

I do think multiplayer games like TLOU Factions 2 should be on PS5 and PC though. Just because I think that'll help them gain more popularity and potentially, an audience on twitch and whatnot. I think console only multiplayer has potential to be popular but it's unlikely to gain a large online following because there's lower incentive for streamers and youtubers to spend a lot of time on those games, a smaller speculative audience.

 

[Pheonix]

PlayStation is primarily a 3rd party gaming service platform.

The only way they can continue to function as this going forward is to move to being more hardware agnostic

Click to shrink...

I am sorry,I don't understand this.

What do you mean by primarily a third-party gaming platform? As in, the majority of the games released on the PS are made by third-parties? And if that is the case, isn't that how it has always been since the creation of Playstation? And why would they need to become hardware agnostic to continue doing what they have done successfully for 4 previous generations?

Playstation, to the best of my knowledge, is a closed ecosystem console hardware platform. Exclusives play a key role in this as they give people a reason o own said platform vs owning something else or in addition to something else. This has been the bread and butter of console gaming since it inception.

What am I missing here?
To all those that I amn conversation with,I am not saying sony owned IPs will never come to PC,or that they will still take like 4 years to get there. No.I am saying, that as long as sony's primary objective is to move Playstations and their services, they will always prioritize adding value to their platform. Releasing their games day ad date on the PC, will negatively impact the illusion of that "value add"to their platform. However, this does not mean, that depending on how that IP sells, they will not release it on the PC eventually.

I look at their release model now more akin to how I would look at movies.

Movie theatrical release (game PlayStation exclusive release) ---> Movie physical/digital release (game Plystation services release) ---> Movie TV/subscription release (game PC port)

 

[XB1NH0]

"Day 1 releases will kill console sales!"

Xbox Series X/S consoles continue to sell at a record pace, Microsoft has claimed | VGC

Amid shortages, Phil Spencer says “supply is actually as big as it’s ever been”…

www.videogameschronicle.com

Yup, Xbox is dead.

Click to shrink...

this data doesn't prove anything. strong sells today doesn't means strong sells tomorrow. series x/s could finish this generation with less consoles sold than previous gens. we shouldn't assume straight lines that can bend anytime.
Cause that Barlog said they're analyzing, testing the water.

 

[Pheonix]

I feel like I saw a variant of this post back when we were discussing whether Sony would release any of their first party games in the PC whatsoever.

Click to shrink...

Well.. if you did... it wasn't by me. I have never said that sony would not release their games on the PC.I have, however, said that sony would never release their games on the PC and/or on a service the same day and date as a physical/digital release.

And if that ever does happen.... then it will be at a time when sony no longer cares for or about selling hardware. When hardware is no longer their primary business model.