The gaming world got hit with a surprising rumor this week, and it’s now coming from multiple sources. PlayStation might be backing away from their PC porting strategy, at least for their biggest single-player exclusives. What started as one insider’s claim has gained credibility after a second prominent gaming personality confirmed hearing similar whispers.
Jez Corden from Windows Central first shared the news on the Xbox Two Podcast on November 15, 2025. Now Parris Lilly from Gamer Tag Radio says he’s independently heard the same thing. When two separate insiders with different sources say the same thing, it’s worth paying attention.
What Jez Corden Actually Said
During a discussion about PlayStation’s strategy, Corden dropped a statement that caught everyone off guard. He claimed a “very good source” told him that PlayStation is “probably pulling back from PC” for their tent-pole single-player games. This wouldn’t affect live service titles, which Sony already confirmed would launch day-and-date on PlayStation 5 and PC.
Corden’s reasoning centered on performance. According to him, PlayStation’s staggered PC releases haven’t moved the needle. Games arrive on Steam months or years after the PlayStation 5 launch, by which point interest has cooled and the marketing push is long gone. Player counts for recent ports like LEGO Horizon Adventures and Returnal were underwhelming compared to expectations.
Even major releases struggled. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PC failed to reach the peak concurrent player numbers of the first Spider-Man game. The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, which just launched on Steam, was the most recent major first-party PC port. If Corden’s source is accurate, it might be the last for a while.
Parris Lilly Confirms Hearing Similar Reports
What elevated this from interesting rumor to something more substantial was Parris Lilly’s comment. The Gamer Tag Radio host revealed he’d heard something similar regarding Corden’s PlayStation statements. He didn’t provide additional details or name his source, but independent corroboration from a second industry insider carries weight.
Lilly has been podcasting about gaming since 2005 and has built connections throughout the industry. He’s not known for making wild claims or spreading unverified gossip. When he says he’s heard something, it typically has substance behind it.
The fact that two separate people with different sources are hearing the same thing suggests there might be internal discussions happening at Sony about pivoting away from PC ports. Whether those discussions result in actual policy changes remains to be seen.
Why This Would Be a Major Shift
Sony’s PC strategy has been evolving for years. The company initially resisted bringing exclusives to PC, treating PlayStation console exclusivity as a core competitive advantage. That started changing around 2020 when Horizon Zero Dawn arrived on Steam to surprising success.
Since then, Sony gradually expanded their PC efforts. Days Gone, God of War, Spider-Man, Uncharted, The Last of Us, and many other former exclusives made their way to Steam. The strategy seemed clear – let PlayStation owners enjoy games first, then bring them to PC a year or two later to capture additional revenue from a different audience.
Pulling back from that approach would represent a complete reversal. It would mean games like Ghost of Yōtei, the next God of War, or whatever Naughty Dog is working on might never see PC releases. For the growing PC gaming audience that’s enjoyed catching up on PlayStation’s acclaimed library, this would be genuinely disappointing news.
The Numbers Tell a Story
To understand why Sony might reconsider PC ports, you need to look at the actual performance data. While Sony hasn’t released detailed sales figures for most PC ports, Steam player counts and third-party tracking data paint a picture.
God of War had a strong PC debut with over 73,000 concurrent players at launch. Spider-Man hit similar numbers. Those are respectable figures that likely translated to millions in revenue. But more recent ports have struggled to match that enthusiasm. Returnal peaked around 6,000 concurrent players. LEGO Horizon Adventures barely made a dent.
Part of the problem is timing. When a game launches on PC two years after the PlayStation 5 version, most people who really wanted to play it already have. YouTube and Twitch have spoiled the story. Reviews have been read. The cultural conversation has moved on. You’re left marketing to a much smaller audience of patient gamers willing to wait.
The Nintendo Comparison
Corden specifically mentioned that Sony might follow Nintendo’s approach of maintaining stricter exclusivity. Nintendo has thrived for decades by keeping their first-party titles locked to their hardware. You want to play the latest Mario or Zelda? You buy a Nintendo console. No exceptions, no ports, no compromises.
That strategy works for Nintendo because their games are system sellers with evergreen appeal. A Zelda game released five years ago still moves Switch units today. Sony might believe their biggest franchises like God of War and Spider-Man have similar power to drive hardware sales if they remain truly exclusive.
The counterargument is that Nintendo’s situation differs fundamentally. Nintendo hardware is significantly cheaper than PlayStation 5, and their games appeal to broader family audiences. PlayStation targets core gamers with cutting-edge graphics and mature storytelling. Those audiences behave differently and have different expectations about platform exclusivity.
What About Cross-Buy?
Adding another layer to this rumor, dataminers recently uncovered cross-buy functionality and PlayStation-PC images in certain game files. This discovery led to speculation that Sony might adopt a system where buying a game on PlayStation 5 gives you the PC version too, similar to Microsoft’s Play Anywhere program.
According to Corden’s source, those images came from “outdated old builds” and are “never going to be used.” If accurate, that means cross-buy was considered internally but ultimately rejected. Sony appears to be moving in the opposite direction, toward more exclusivity rather than less.
Live Service Gets Different Treatment
One critical distinction in all this is that live service games are explicitly not part of the pullback. Sony previously confirmed that multiplayer titles designed for ongoing engagement would launch simultaneously on PlayStation 5 and PC. Helldivers 2 followed this model successfully, and future live service games will too.
This makes business sense. Live service games thrive on large player populations. Launching on multiple platforms simultaneously maximizes the player base, which improves matchmaking, sustains engagement, and increases monetization opportunities. Staggered releases actively harm these titles by fragmenting communities.
The distinction reveals Sony’s thinking. Single-player games are system sellers that drive hardware adoption. Live service games are revenue generators that benefit from maximum reach. Different business models, different strategies.
The Credibility Question
Before accepting this rumor as fact, it’s worth examining the sources. Jez Corden primarily covers Xbox and Microsoft gaming news for Windows Central. He’s reliable on that beat but has less direct access to PlayStation sources. He acknowledged this himself, noting he doesn’t actively investigate PlayStation and sometimes gets information “incidentally” while researching Microsoft.
After the initial report gained traction, Corden clarified on X that the rumors are “very vague.” That hedging suggests even he’s not entirely certain about the information. Vague rumors from secondhand sources should be treated with appropriate skepticism.
Parris Lilly’s corroboration helps, but he also didn’t provide detailed specifics. Without knowing who his source is or how confident they are, it’s hard to assess reliability. Two vague rumors don’t necessarily equal one confirmed fact.
What Happens Next
If Sony is genuinely reconsidering their PC strategy, we likely won’t get official confirmation for months. Companies rarely announce what they’re NOT doing. Instead, we’d simply see fewer PC port announcements going forward. The absence of news would become the news.
Sony’s next major first-party release is Ghost of Yōtei in 2025. If that game gets a PC port announcement within 12-18 months of the PlayStation 5 launch, these rumors were probably overblown. If two years pass with no PC version mentioned, the rumors gain credibility.
There’s also the possibility Sony is waiting to see how Valve’s returning Steam Machine performs. If Steam Machine gains traction as a console competitor, Sony might view PC as more of a direct threat and tighten exclusivity accordingly. Market conditions change strategies.
FAQs
Is PlayStation really stopping PC ports?
According to rumors from Jez Corden and Parris Lilly, PlayStation might be pulling back from PC ports for their major single-player exclusives. However, Corden has since described the rumors as “very vague,” and Sony has made no official statement. This should be treated as unconfirmed speculation.
Would this affect all PlayStation games or just some?
The rumored pullback would specifically target “tent-pole single-player games” like God of War, Spider-Man, and Ghost of Tsushima sequels. Live service multiplayer games would still launch day-and-date on PlayStation 5 and PC as Sony has previously confirmed.
Why would Sony abandon their PC strategy?
According to Jez Corden, Sony’s staggered PC releases haven’t generated expected results. Games arrive on PC long after the PlayStation 5 launch when interest has cooled, leading to disappointing player counts and sales. Sony might believe keeping games exclusive drives more hardware sales.
What about games already announced for PC?
Any games with confirmed PC versions would presumably still release as planned. The rumored policy change would only affect future unannounced titles. Games like The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered have already launched on PC.
Would this follow Nintendo’s exclusivity model?
Potentially. Jez Corden suggested Sony might adopt an approach similar to Nintendo, which keeps virtually all first-party titles exclusive to their hardware. Nintendo has proven that strict exclusivity can be profitable if your games are strong enough system sellers.
How reliable are these rumors?
Moderately reliable but far from confirmed. Jez Corden is a credible journalist but primarily covers Xbox, not PlayStation. He’s since described the rumors as “very vague.” Parris Lilly’s corroboration adds weight, but neither source provided detailed evidence or named their contacts.
When will we know for sure?
Sony is unlikely to officially announce a change in PC porting strategy. Instead, the absence of future PC port announcements would gradually confirm the shift. Watch whether games like Ghost of Yōtei receive PC versions within 18-24 months of their PlayStation 5 launches.
What would this mean for PC gamers?
If true, PC gamers would lose access to future PlayStation exclusives unless they also own a PlayStation 5. Games like the next God of War, Spider-Man, or Naughty Dog projects might never come to PC, reversing years of increasingly friendly cross-platform support from Sony.
The Bigger Picture
This rumor, if it proves accurate, represents more than just a policy shift. It signals a fundamental tension in modern gaming between exclusivity and accessibility. Platform holders want exclusive games to drive hardware sales. Gamers increasingly expect to play where they want, when they want, on whatever device they prefer.
Sony has been caught between these opposing forces. Shareholders want maximum revenue, which argues for releasing everywhere. Console business fundamentals argue for exclusivity that justifies the hardware investment. Finding the right balance determines whether you’re leaving money on the table or undermining your core business.
For now, this remains firmly in rumor territory. Two insiders hearing similar things doesn’t constitute proof, especially when one has admitted the information is vague. But it’s a rumor worth watching because it could signal a major strategic pivot from one of gaming’s biggest players. PC gamers who’ve enjoyed catching up on PlayStation’s incredible library should hope Corden and Lilly got this one wrong.