PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan Doubles Down On Exclusives For PS5

Here at the beginning of a new console generation, we find ourselves in an interesting position where all three major console manufacturers are sort of doing their own thing. Microsoft is putting a big focus on services like Xbox Game Pass and cloud streaming, while Nintendo is taking a hybrid approach to console gaming with the Switch. Sony, it seems, is planning to stick with what's worked for it in previous generations: Exclusives.

Speaking to Nikkei in a recent interview (as translated by Gematsu's Salromano on Resetera), Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan indicated that Sony is committed to delivering more exclusives for the PS5 than the PlayStation consoles that came before it. In fact, Ryan seems to suggest that this focus on exclusives is part of how Sony plans to answer Microsoft's buying spree that saw it pay a whopping $7.5 billion for Bethesda and its subsidiaries.

"We have been quietly, but steadily investing in high-quality games for PlayStation," Ryan said. "And we will make sure the PlayStation 5 generation has more exclusive software than ever before. We have engaged in mergers and acquisitions several times in the past, such as with Insomniac Games. We will not rule out that option in the future."

So, if you're looking to get a PlayStation 5 because you enjoyed all of the exclusive games on the PlayStation 4, according to Jim Ryan you won't be disappointed in what you ultimately get. In that interview, Ryan also indicated that he "would like strengthen" Sony's partnerships with Japanese developers "and release content for PlayStation 5 suited to the Japanese market." He also spoke on the supply issues the PlayStation 5 is facing, noting that the "current supply of PlayStation 5 in Japan is comparable to PlayStation 4 in the same period following its launch."

None of this really comes as a huge shock because many of us probably expected Sony to double down on exclusives for the PS5 after exclusives made the PlayStation 4 an attractive platform, but it is good to have that confirmation that exclusives are a major focus for Sony in the new generation. We've got a couple of those exclusives coming up, with Returnal slated to land on April 30th and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart landing on June 11th.