In 2017, Sony was preparing to launch its PlayStation Now cloud gaming service on mobile phones, according to a leaked court document from the Epic v. Apple trial. The court document referenced an unannounced “mobile extension of an existing streaming service for PlayStation users, streaming access to over 450+ PS3 games to start, with PS4 games to follow.”
Sony was planning on expanding PlayStation Now to mobile in 2017
Such a mobile device expansion for the service never came to fruition. PlayStation Now is still available offering PS4, PS3, and PS2 games that can be played on PS5, PS4, or Windows PCs, but there has never been a version available on iOS or Android, nor has it been made available for Mac.
Since the Cupertino tech giant started working on its own gaming service Apple Arcade around that time, it may have been discussing PS Now as it was preparing to target 30 top game studios and ask for as many as “a few hundred titles” to add.
While Apple ultimately launch Apple Arcade just a few years ago in 2019, Sony was way ahead of the curve with PS Now. The service launched in 2014 with a collection of 450+ PlayStation 3 games which included the likes of Red Dead Redemption, The Last of Us, Killzone Shadow Fall, and other exclusives. GeForce NOW, Google Stadia, and Xbox Cloud Gaming are similar services that followed.
It is unclear why Sony never ended up making a mobile version of PS Now since the software would have launched before Apple debuted strict cloud gaming rules in the App Store following the launch of Google Stadia and Xbox Cloud Gaming, 2019 and 2020 respectively. It is being speculated that the company decided to focus on console
It’s not clear why Sony never followed through with a mobile version of PS Now, as the software would have launched before Apple introduced strict cloud gaming rules in the App Store with the debut of Google Stadia and Xbox Cloud Gaming. The Verge speculates that Sony decided it wasn’t worth taking on Apple at the time, or that Sony may have decided to focus on console sales instead.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Sony intends to bring some of its “iconic IP” to mobile by the end of 2021, which would mean that iOS and Android users might be able to enjoy games by Sony on their smartphones by 2022.
via The Verge
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