Throughout the launch of the PlayStation 5 console, Sony has shown us a number of breathtaking games that many assumed would be exclusive to the next generation console.
However, it seems as though Sony will also be releasing many of these games on the PlayStation 4, making the immediate need to rush out and purchase a PlayStation 5 at launch seem less severe for a number of gamers.
Games that are launching for the PS5 that have been confirmed to also be coming for the PS4 include Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and, shockingly, Horizon Forbidden West.
So what games are exclusive to the PlayStation 5?
As of now, that list stands at Demon’s Souls and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Of course, more exclusives will follow, but that seems to be it for the console’s launch and the period of time immediately following.
This is a surprising move for Sony, especially when you take their previous stance on console generations into account.
“We have always said that we believe in generations,” Jim Ryan, the president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment said back in May. “We believe that when you go to all the trouble of creating a next-gen console, that it should include features and benefits that the previous generation does not include. And that, in our view, people should make games that can make the most of those features. Whether it’s the DualSense controller, whether it’s the 3D audio, whether it’s the multiple ways that the SSD can be used… we are thinking that it is time to give the PlayStation community something new, something different, that can really only be enjoyed on PS5.”
While that statement still rings true for a lot of what the PlayStation 5 has to offer, it is definitely a head scratcher when it comes to games.
We know that Sony plans to continue supporting the PlayStation 4 for at least three of four years, but the release of these games on the previous console generation is certainly surprising.
While cross generational titles are nothing new, the inclusion of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon Forbidden West certainly took a lot of people off guard. These were games that Sony pushed hard in their PS5 reveal events and it seemed a lock that they would be a huge selling point for the new console.
If pre-orders are any indication, it seems as though Sony has a shortage of units to ship for this holiday season. Perhaps they believe that they won’t sell enough consoles to make these games profitable without PS4 inclusion.
The PlayStation 5 releases in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand on November 12. It releases worldwide on November 19.