"I think that that multiplatform development is what's on the mind of most high-end PC developers now... this is really the first time in the industry's history that we've had console machines that can handle all that PC developers can deliver"

Wilson points to a pivotal moment when technological parity between consoles and PCs shifted the center of gravity in game development. For years, high-end PC developers pushed boundaries that consoles couldn’t match, higher resolutions, complex physics, sprawling levels, robust AI, and online infrastructure. When console hardware finally closed much of that gap, the strategic calculus changed. Building for one platform no longer meant leaving another behind; the same engines, assets, and systems could be scaled and deployed across multiple ecosystems with acceptable compromises.

That change unlocked the business logic of going multiplatform by default. Budgets were rising, risks were mounting, and reaching a broader audience became essential. If consoles could faithfully run the same ambitious designs that once felt PC-only, then simultaneous development, and often simultaneous release, became the sensible path. Middleware matured in step with this shift. Engines like Unreal and other cross-platform toolchains abstracted platform differences, enabling studios to target a shared feature set while tuning performance and controls per device.

Yet this convergence brought trade‑offs. Design decisions started to account for controllers, certification requirements, and memory ceilings across console SKUs, nudging teams toward common denominators. PC-first features, extensive mod support, ultra-high frame rates, exotic input devices, sometimes took a back seat. Even so, the broader market and standardization often improved production values, quality assurance, and long-term support, while scalability settings preserved much of the PC’s flexibility.

Culturally, the shift softened the boundary between “PC games” and “console games.” Crossplay, shared progression, and unified online services became more feasible as technical barriers fell. The conversation moved from whether a game could be brought to console to how to optimize it across all platforms without degrading the experience.

Ultimately, Wilson’s observation captures a structural turning point: once consoles could credibly host the full ambitions of high-end PC development, multiplatform strategy evolved from an optional porting exercise into the default blueprint for mainstream studios seeking both technical reach and economic sustainability.