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“PlayStation PC launcher” spotted in Spider-Man Remastered

References to a “PlayStation PC launcher” in Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered suggest Sony is considering a standalone platform for PlayStation exclusive games

Sony PlayStation PC launcher - Spider-Man looks at a monitor with the PlayStation logo on it

A standalone Sony PlayStation PC launcher could be in the works for PlayStation exclusive games coming to PC, following other such offerings from EA, Ubisoft, and Rockstar. References to a “PlayStation PC launcher” within the game files of the PC release of Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered suggest that Sony might be considering a platform to host its upcoming games separately from Steam and the Epic Games store.

The discovery of the files, which have been verified by VGC, have given rise to discussion around whether Sony would launch its own standalone platform as a place to sell formerly PlayStation Exclusive games on PC. Currently, Sony’s PC versions of its biggest games including God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and the recently released Spider-Man Remastered are being sold on both the Steam store and the Epic Games store.

This, of course, means that Valve and Epic take their share of the revenue – it’s certainly possible that deals could have been struck to give Sony a more favourable revenue split (though we must emphasise that this is pure speculation), but a cut is a cut. By running their own launcher, Sony would only have to fork out for the operating costs involved in serving their games up to players.

Another possibility is that Sony could be considering a way to offer PC players games via its PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium tiers, the recently introduced higher-cost subscription services that include a greater range of games in a fashion akin to Microsoft’s Game Pass. Other files in Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered also include references to “PSNAccountLInked” and “PSNLinkingEntitlements” – suggesting that Sony may be planning to integrate their PlayStation Network service into its PC games.

If this were to happen, there’s certainly a chance that Sony might consider offering games on PC as part of its higher Plus subscription tiers to encourage more users to sign up for the service, or upgrade from a lower-cost plan.

However, it seems unlikely that Sony’s games would be made exclusive to a PlayStation launcher – Microsoft, who also offer their own store client and launcher, also release their games for sale on Steam. Some publishers, including Ubisoft and Rockstar, require their own clients to be active for certain games even when they are launched from Steam or the Epic Games store, so it’s possible that Sony would consider this as well.

If you haven’t yet checked out Spidey’s PC adventure, check out our Spider-Man Remastered PC review. You may also be interested in our Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered system requirements, but if you’re worried whether your PC can handle it, don’t fear – you can even play Spider-Man without a graphics card. The first mods for the game are swinging into action, with a Spider-Man Symbiote suit mod among the first on the scene. We’ve also got the best games like Spider-Man on PC if you’re curious about other similar options available to you.