Despite the successful releases of Sony’s PlayStation exclusives on the PC, the newest kid on the block, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, appears to be trailing behind in the race, failing to make an impression as the first ever PlayStation 5-exclusive from first-party Sony studio to come to the PC.
With its player count significantly less than its predecessors, it seems the once PlayStation-exclusive title is struggling to be as successful on the new platform.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart earned considerable acclaim upon its initial release on the PS5, impressing critics and players by engrossing them in an emotionally-driven multidimensional narrative with a blend of gripping action sequences and jumping between dimensions, a feat powered, in part, by the PS5’s proprietary SSD. The excitement surrounding the title’s announcement for PC release earlier this year was quite high, leading many to anticipate an enthusiastic reception from the PC gaming community. Despite the game’s successful PC port garnering a slew of positive reviews on Steam, the title failed to rake in substantial sales. Observers can’t help but ponder the possible reasons behind this lukewarm response, especially in light of the disastrous reception of The Last Of Us Part 1’s PC port, prompting potential players to approach subsequent Sony releases with caution.
According to data from SteamDB, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart peaked at only 8,757 players since its launch day. This figure pales in comparison to the numbers reached by other first-party Sony titles like Horizon Zero Dawn (56,557 players) and the current record-holder, God of War (73,529 players).
In fact, even The Last of Us Part 1, with all its flaws, peaked at 36,496, although this may be partly due to the success of The Last of Us on HBO.
At the moment, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is among the least successful PlayStation 5 PC ports, being surpassed in terms of player numbers by Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which garnered peaks of 10,851 and 13,539 players, respectively.
Speculations about the possible causes of this disappointing performance range from the game’s high price point of $59.99 for a title years behind its original release, to Sony’s apparent lack of marketing for their PC ports. Many argue that Sony, in its attempt to presumably save on marketing costs in favor of long-term revenue, is a mistake that could’ve potentially contributed to the game’s subdued debut.
However, not all see Rift Apart’s performance on the PC as a disaster. Unlike God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us, Rift Apart is a niche title – a platformer in a day and age where the genre has seen much better days, releasing on a new platform outside of its usual target market.
So, while the numbers are low, it isn’t alarming. Not yet, at the very least.
Sony would’ve preferred Rift Apart to post higher numbers in its PC debut, but the numbers are still good considering the relative lack of marketing ahead of its release and even during its announcement.
The only way we see PlayStation doubting its strategy is if its bigger non-niche exclusives titles like Ghost of Tsushima and Horizon Forbidden West, do as “badly” once they inevitably make their entrance into the so-called “Master Race” platform.
For now, Sony has yet to confirm which exclusive is headed to the PC next and when it’s happening. However, with a PS5 Slim reveal coming soon, we might see Sony drop news about its next addition to the Epic Games Store and Steam libraries in a month or two.
