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PlayStation Is Missing Creative Leadership
- Thread starter FalconPunch
- Start date
ZehDon
Member
Sony's diving head first into the same blockbuster problem as Hollywood did. When you base your entire business model on massive tentpole blockbusters, everything needs to shift 20m copies. So, you need to make sure they're as safe-a-bet as possible, and nothing's safer to a committee than sequels, remakes, remasters, and spin offs.
To Sony's credit, we're still getting stuff like Helldivers 2 and Astro Bot - the kind of mid-level success stories Hollywood stopped trying to make decades ago. Microsoft doesn't really make big $200m games anymore - their business model doesn't support it - so we see stuff like Avowed on their slate, which, to me, is more interesting than yet another TLOU remake. Nintendo spends its money less on visual presentation and more on tinkering with gameplay innovations and experiments. When it lands, you get Animal Crossing. When it doesn't, it doesn't matter. With that said, when Microsoft and Sony swing for the fences, Sony still manages to deliver Spider-man 2 while Microsoft delivers Halo Infinite and Redfall. So, you know, you could probably be a little nicer to Sony.
To Sony's credit, we're still getting stuff like Helldivers 2 and Astro Bot - the kind of mid-level success stories Hollywood stopped trying to make decades ago. Microsoft doesn't really make big $200m games anymore - their business model doesn't support it - so we see stuff like Avowed on their slate, which, to me, is more interesting than yet another TLOU remake. Nintendo spends its money less on visual presentation and more on tinkering with gameplay innovations and experiments. When it lands, you get Animal Crossing. When it doesn't, it doesn't matter. With that said, when Microsoft and Sony swing for the fences, Sony still manages to deliver Spider-man 2 while Microsoft delivers Halo Infinite and Redfall. So, you know, you could probably be a little nicer to Sony.
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FIREKNIGHT2029
Member
AstroBot is probably the most creative game Sony has put out in the last decade and it's the most creative game this generation if you ask me.
While I agree with the too many remasters and chasing trends sentiment we can't ignore the genuinely amazing stuff they've either released or partnered to release.
If Sony has uncreative leadership what kind of leadership is at MS and Nintendo lately? Those guys play it way safer than Sony.
While I agree with the too many remasters and chasing trends sentiment we can't ignore the genuinely amazing stuff they've either released or partnered to release.
If Sony has uncreative leadership what kind of leadership is at MS and Nintendo lately? Those guys play it way safer than Sony.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I've never known a games company to push push so much hardware and accessories without new games to match it.
Sega was bad for this but they constantly releasing great games.
Now I ain't saying Sony hasn't released anything.
But let get this straight.
Sony has released everything they had planned at the launch of the PS5.
And that's great
But with the release of the PS5 Pro we are at the halfway line if not further into the PS5 life cycle.
And since 2021 they have released more accessories and PC ports then new games for the PS5.
it's bad.
And I don't believe everything I hear but I wouldn't be surprised if the rumours that Jim was forced to resign because of this are true.
Sega was bad for this but they constantly releasing great games.
Now I ain't saying Sony hasn't released anything.
But let get this straight.
Sony has released everything they had planned at the launch of the PS5.
And that's great
But with the release of the PS5 Pro we are at the halfway line if not further into the PS5 life cycle.
And since 2021 they have released more accessories and PC ports then new games for the PS5.
it's bad.
And I don't believe everything I hear but I wouldn't be surprised if the rumours that Jim was forced to resign because of this are true.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
Honest truth; Concord was truly tone-deaf. They released a me-too product and got "mee-tooed".
I understand its a hugely lucrative market, and a highly competitve one for this type of product, but the creative sucked, it excited noone. Certainly not even among the demographic they were trying to court. I'd be looking very hard at Fairgame$ right now.
I understand its a hugely lucrative market, and a highly competitve one for this type of product, but the creative sucked, it excited noone. Certainly not even among the demographic they were trying to court. I'd be looking very hard at Fairgame$ right now.
FalconPunch
Member
It’s truly starting to feel that way. People think I’m hating on PlayStation but it’s actually the opposite. The sooner you notice cancer and begin treatment, the better the chances of a positive outcome. Now I’m not saying it’s doom and gloom for Sony but there’s evident rot beginning to develop. It needs to be addressed because if left to fester, the results will be disastrous for the console gaming industry as a whole. For me, Sony is the bench mark of console gaming in that they’re the most consistent. All 4 gens prior to this have consistently delivered good games and genre defining games in a timely manner.
With the ps5, it seems that the innovation is fading and the company is too safe. Part of it is due to the large budgets being spent on games but that’s a self imposed problem. The risks they’re taking are bad and would only be taken by someone who knows nothing about gaming. Every company has a role to fill. Nintendo has their role to fill, Sony has their role to fill, etc. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try something new but, don’t neglect your primary role. When I look at the games released for ps5, barring returnal, astrobot, and gt7, Sony has failed its audience in delivering what they expect from them. It needs to be addressed.
Moriarty1889
Member
There are lots of franchises Sony could have brought back imo. Resistance, Killzone, Infamous to name a few. They have done much better in previous gens in terms of delivering great games. This gen has been lackluster to say the least and remasters are all to commonplace. I think Jim definitely was a big part of all of this and his focus on live service shite has come back to bite them in the ass. Hopefully they can right the ship the rest of the gen and get back to what they once were. Either way, in terms of competition, they have not had much and have released more and better games than their main competitor Xbox. Astrobot looks to be GOTY material and a throwback to those great Playstation platformers of previous gens. So either way, that’s a bit of fresh air needed after the shite that was Concord.
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RCU005
Member
These responses upset me, because it's like if it was black or white and nothing in between.
Helldivers 2 is not made by Sony. Rise of the Ronin is not made by Sony. Stellar Blade is not made by Sony
Sony has NOT been more innovative this gen compared to PS4, let alone "far more". Just compare the QUALITY releases MADE BY SONY from PS3 and PS4, then compare the QUANTITY of releases. This generation has been dead when it comes to SONY.
The PS5 has great games! a lot of them, but third party is the one carrying the console's success this time, NOT SONY.
OP is 100% right when stating that Sony is focusing on chasing trends and the mythological GaaS golden goose.
While I do consider Horizon and Killzone amazing games and not boring, those are games that originated from LAST GENS. How many new IPs from SONY have there been on PS5? Returnal, ...
The PS3 struggled so much since day one, but still got so many amazing games since the first month.
New IPs from Sony on PS3: Uncharted, inFamous, LittleBigPlanet, The Last of Us, Motorstorm, Resistance, and more.
What have they done this gen?
FalconPunch
Member
Unfortunately, they've lost their bearings.
ShadyAcshuns
Member
Long time PlayStation fanboy extraordinaire Erick Landon on PS5 Pro:
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Hypereides
Gold Member
He isn't a "shitty animator". He's just an uncreative, unimaginative and visionless cardboard cut-out. He has nothing interesting to offer and its clear in most of Sony's output since he's overseeing the WW studios.
I got your answer: barely much. The only ones who don't like to hear this are the zealot fanboys. Those that'll act like Sony's personal bodyguards online if someone as much as "dares" to point some criticism towards them.
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killatopak
Gold Member
Sony is incredibly creative.
The issue is their priorities which is clearly gaas.
The issue is their priorities which is clearly gaas.
Bruno_Arrais85
Member
This is gold
Loomy
Thinks Microaggressions are Real
For them to keep making those games, people have to buy them. And the reality is that they don't.
Just watch the reactions during a state of play or showcase when they show anything other than a high concept AAA game. You'll see things like "trash", "Waste of time", "PS4 game", etc.
pasterpl
Member
Pentiment, flight sim, south of midnight, grounded, avowed, Indiana jones, blade, starfield, ara, as dusk falls, everwild, redfall, hi-fi rush - yes, playing it so safe.
ByWatterson
Member
Helldivers and Astrobot by themselves make this a great year.
Add on third party exclusives and it's outrageously good.
Add on third party exclusives and it's outrageously good.
bitbydeath
Member
I’d say the issue is their communication. GaaS is being upheld by only a small number of teams and we don’t know much of what anyone else is doing. We only know about GaaS because it is a new push.
LordOcidax
Member
I didn’t know that Sony was the leader in creativity in the video game industry… 
Del_X
Member
If Sony is the one missing creative leadership, what does that make Nintendo and MS?
Sony being the only one with diverse lineup covering most types of games!
Your basis is flawed and biased. Close this thread
Just because everyone else is lazy doesn’t excuse the endless parade of gaming slop on Sony’s side.
Omnipunctual Godot
Gold Member
I really miss the Shu, Boyes, and Tretton halcyon days.
Unrivaledx88
Member
So what is Xbox missing lollll
DeleteriousObnoxious
Member
Im just happy i waited till 2024 to complete The Last Guardian "for the first time" the creative output drought is real.
I had respect for sony back in 2016 when they were doing there part in sustaining the creative input from ambitious game designers and not just trying to get with trends copy other ideas or rehash old ideas for new audiences.
We need ambitious creative inputs for the industry not to feel stale. What sony is doing now is delivering a short term profit gain, however the strategy will most likely become increasingly less profitable in the long term due to slowly decreasing our excitement for their products.
I still have some games i wanna enjoy from sony but they are nearly all old games until astro bot nothing have remotely been interesting to me of their newer outputs. Astro bot reminds me of the legacy sony had now they have become like microsoft tasteless and bland.
such a shame. I owned all sony playstations and their handhelds I have always prioritized sony products before microsoft and nintendo
the respect for sony is gone now. But their legacy is still alive Team Ico, Studio liverpool, Evolution studios, Japan Studios.
at least we can still enjoy what is behind us.
I had respect for sony back in 2016 when they were doing there part in sustaining the creative input from ambitious game designers and not just trying to get with trends copy other ideas or rehash old ideas for new audiences.
We need ambitious creative inputs for the industry not to feel stale. What sony is doing now is delivering a short term profit gain, however the strategy will most likely become increasingly less profitable in the long term due to slowly decreasing our excitement for their products.
I still have some games i wanna enjoy from sony but they are nearly all old games until astro bot nothing have remotely been interesting to me of their newer outputs. Astro bot reminds me of the legacy sony had now they have become like microsoft tasteless and bland.
such a shame. I owned all sony playstations and their handhelds I have always prioritized sony products before microsoft and nintendo
the respect for sony is gone now. But their legacy is still alive Team Ico, Studio liverpool, Evolution studios, Japan Studios.
at least we can still enjoy what is behind us.
fallingdove
Member
*Cough* Bullshit
Nintendo plays it very safe. Then once every couple of generations they will try something different with a Pikmin or a Splatoon.
The real reason Nintendo are so good is not because they take risks but they have been subtly refining the same gameplay mechanics for 40 years.
PurePlatinum
Member
All the bad news around their GaaS initiatives would be a much easier pill to swallow if we simply knew the state of what some of the key first party studios were working on. At this point in the PS4 generation, we knew about everything that was coming for the rest of the generation. As it stands right now, we don't even know what's coming next year.
PSYGN
Member
Yeah, the choices a lot of these gaming companies have been making the past 5-10 years have been highly questionable and tone-deaf. Like flies to shit they all gravitate to whatever's currently being hyped and pedaled at wallstreet. Of course Battlefield would be showing off AI stuff in their investor call, the idiots at wallstreet slurp that shit up - just a few years ago it was NFT. A lot of the c-suite must be made from these parasitic and vulturistic idiots looking for short term gains constantly. I guess they don't have to pretend to care anymore these days right? Just trample on your own customers to reach the next quarterly report.
I understand that maybe the game companies are trying to fool investors (must work if they keep doing this?), but that should not be the core of your business decisions. Make great games and people will follow. Invest back in your brand and your customers and they will invest back in you. Trust your developers to do what they are best at especially ones that have a track record. Stop chasing the 1% on wallstreet or Twitter who will shit on your face the moment you stray from their narrative or playbook. Look at the companies that are succeeding... the ones who stay out of politics and focus on their craft and their customers. Look at the ones failing... the ones that fooled themselves into trying to make a quick buck and chasing trends.
I too am worried about Sony. You'd think they would've snapped out of it by now. Maybe Concord was the wakeup call trailed by two remasters no one even would've thought to ask for. I don't think it's arrogant Sony these days, I think it's ignorant Sony ran by executives who don't know what the fuck they are doing. It seems the western division of Sony has really lost the plot and you see glimmers of old Sony through Astrobot and a few other games. I hope Sony (and many other companies) wake up soon. I think they'll have no choice to as money on wallstreet wanes and the customers are being tired of being trickle fed the same shit.
I understand that maybe the game companies are trying to fool investors (must work if they keep doing this?), but that should not be the core of your business decisions. Make great games and people will follow. Invest back in your brand and your customers and they will invest back in you. Trust your developers to do what they are best at especially ones that have a track record. Stop chasing the 1% on wallstreet or Twitter who will shit on your face the moment you stray from their narrative or playbook. Look at the companies that are succeeding... the ones who stay out of politics and focus on their craft and their customers. Look at the ones failing... the ones that fooled themselves into trying to make a quick buck and chasing trends.
I too am worried about Sony. You'd think they would've snapped out of it by now. Maybe Concord was the wakeup call trailed by two remasters no one even would've thought to ask for. I don't think it's arrogant Sony these days, I think it's ignorant Sony ran by executives who don't know what the fuck they are doing. It seems the western division of Sony has really lost the plot and you see glimmers of old Sony through Astrobot and a few other games. I hope Sony (and many other companies) wake up soon. I think they'll have no choice to as money on wallstreet wanes and the customers are being tired of being trickle fed the same shit.
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SyedDanishAnwar
Banned
What Sony is really missing is leadership that is in touch with the consumer base i.e. gamers. They are soley chasing profit (and conforming to DEI is part of it) instead of taking time to listen what gamers in general really want. They are trying to win the compeition (gobbling up studios and thus destrying creativity) at the cost of what the target market really want.
While profit is good, these leaders seem to forget the main lesson that at the end of the day customer is king. They need to respect the wishes of customers if they want to thrive again. They need to cut operational costs not by firing but financial engineering and reducing the pays of the top guys.
Without these similar visionary changes, Sony is poised to fail similar to the TV and smartphone market. I won't have any sympathy for their demise as these stuip idiots don't seem to care for us gamers.
While profit is good, these leaders seem to forget the main lesson that at the end of the day customer is king. They need to respect the wishes of customers if they want to thrive again. They need to cut operational costs not by firing but financial engineering and reducing the pays of the top guys.
Without these similar visionary changes, Sony is poised to fail similar to the TV and smartphone market. I won't have any sympathy for their demise as these stuip idiots don't seem to care for us gamers.
solidus12
Member
Hermen breathes through his skin
dragonyeuw
Member
I find it weird how, on the topic of ignoring consumer wishes, it's like they're going out of their way to ignore Bloodborne( unless there is something on the horizon that even the leakers don't know about yet) but giving us Zero Dawn and Days gone remasters?! Two games that already play great on PS5 and the latter of which certainly isn't enough of a fan favorite to justify remaster money( and if they're hellbent on making it a thing then why not do a sequel)?
This is the worst 1st party gen Sony has ever had imo. It’s telling how biased Sony fanboys are to just start realizing this now.
They have not created one new 1st party game that will spawn a franchise so far. Really hoping this changes in the back half as I used to love their output. They have been milking their ps4 goodwill for too long.
Granted I did love returnal. But I honestly don’t see that getting a sequel given the low sales.
They have not created one new 1st party game that will spawn a franchise so far. Really hoping this changes in the back half as I used to love their output. They have been milking their ps4 goodwill for too long.
Granted I did love returnal. But I honestly don’t see that getting a sequel given the low sales.
yurinka
Member
Yes, they are well set up for the future:
- Their active console userbase is bigger than ever
- Half of PS5 console sales are from new users and the majority of their userbase still has to upgrade
- ARPU and amount of games sold per PS5 are all time records
- Revenue from game subs is on all time records and keeps growing
- Revenue from accesories is also at all time records and growing
- They're also more successful than ever wth movies/tv shows and are growing there too with many projects in the works
- Their first party games won a lot of awards, broke their fastest selling record 3 of the 4 most recent years, and in recent years acquired studios and several of the previous ones hired people to grow enough to make 2-4 games at the same time instead of one as did in the past
- They started to expand in PC, keep growing its revenue a lot every year and already are one of the top 10 publishers on Steam history with less than two dozen games
- They are growing in MP/GaaS, which has the majority of the gaming userbase and revenue, and found great success in GT7, MLB, Helldivers 2 and Destiny 2 so far.
- Hermen signed a record investment for 2nd parties for this gen
- Jimbo signed more 3rd party exclusives for the rest of the generation that they had in the previous ones
- They are working to further grow in the future in mobile too
Sony has been greatly successful this year with Helldivers 2, The Final Shape, and Astro Bot. And in their context, MLB, Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin.
GT7, MLB, Helldivers 2, Destiny 2 are very successful. 3 out of 15+ GaaS got cancelled and one tanked. They handled it pretty well so far.
They don't rely on remasters at all. They release a lot of new games every year, both 1st party plus 3rd party exclusives.
No, at all. SIE/PS is performing better than ever in most metrics. The Xbox console is in the shit, but the MS gaming division is doing steps that will improve their business and would turn it into a profitable one.
Sure, Jan. Fatige is so big that Spiderman 2 was Sony's fastest selling game ever. And Wolverine will sell even more.
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SyedDanishAnwar
Banned
Cool. Now, let's look at your points with a critical and objective lens.
- ARPU and Game Sales: While record-breaking ARPU and game sales are encouraging, they need to be evaluated in the context of rising game development costs and inflation. It's also crucial to assess the sustainability of these figures in the long term. Sony recently squandered $400 million on a failed woke infested game. I don't think this hit-and-miss policy is sustainable.
- MP/GaaS Growth: While the MP/GaaS market is lucrative, it's highly competitive and requires significant investment in ongoing development and content updates to maintain player engagement. Again, failure of Concord and many other similar games show it's a risky venture.
- PC Expansion: Although expanding into the PC market offers new opportunities, it also introduces competition from established PC publishers and potential cannibalization of console sales. I don't see any utility in owning a console as all games are on PC. Even mid range rigs like 4060 and 4070 can meet or even exceed the performance of a PS5.
- Mobile Expansion: While mobile gaming is a massive market, it's also saturated and presents challenges in terms of monetization and user acquisition. Sony's success in this space is yet to be proven.
- About Hermen signing a record investment for 2nd parties for this gen: A large investment doesn't guarantee successful games. The quality, critical reception, and commercial performance of these second-party titles will ultimately determine their value.
- Multiplayer is geo-locked and not free.
- Rising Development Costs: As game development becomes more expensive, Sony may face challenges maintaining a steady stream of high-quality exclusive titles.
- Box Office Struggles: Several Sony Pictures releases have underperformed at the box office, potentially leading to financial losses and a decline in confidence in the brand.
- Lack of Critical Acclaim Exclusive Games this Gen: While some game releases have been successful, Sony studio has struggled to consistently produce critically acclaimed games this gen similar to past gen. No LOU, Uncharted, MGS, etc. type hit games from Sony.
- While Sony has seen some success with releases like Helldivers 2, The Final Shape, and Astro Bot, it's important to note that these titles appeal to niche audiences and may not have significantly impacted overall console sales or revenue. In the broader context, MLB, Stellar Blade, and Rise of the Ronin face stiff competition from other major releases and struggled to achieve widespread commercial success.
- Although GT7 has enjoyed notable success, and Destiny 2 continues to maintain a dedicated player base, the overall picture for Sony's foray into the GaaS (Games as a Service) market is less rosy. MLB The Show, while popular within its niche, has limited appeal compared to broader genres. Helldivers 2, despite its potential, has received mixed reviews and may struggle to achieve long-term player engagement. Concord was a massive half a billion dollar failure. How can you say they are handling it well?
TLDR: Focusing solely on positive metrics can create a misleading picture of the company's overall position and future prospects. The lack of decent library of exclusives similar to the previous gens make this console an unneeded accessory. Even a similarly priced desktop PC can play games at similar graphics to a PS5 Pro.So, what's the point of owning PS or even Xbox console if all games are available on PC?
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RetroGamingUK
Member
The whole console vs PC debate has been going on for decades, both have pros and cons
PC
+ Upgradability
+ Open system
+ Mods
+ Emulators
Console
+ Simplicity and ease of use
+ Price
+ Physical media
+ Guaranteed game compatibility and performance
Apart from both sides having fewer exclusives, it’s the same as it was 30 years ago
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SyedDanishAnwar
Banned
Let me expand your points a bit:
PC
+ Upgradability
+ Open system
+ Mods
+ Emulators
+ Work (Video edit, photoshop, etc.)
+ Guaranteed game compatibility in case of popular Nvidia cards
+ Performance above 60 fps and superior to PS5 even with mid-range PCs (4060/4070).
+ Low priced games at Steam, Gog, Epic
+ More variety of games
+ No fee for multiplayer; not geo-locked
+ Games can be shared with friends (Gog)
Console
+ Simplicity
+ Price
+ Ease of use
+ Guaranteed game compatibility and performance
Clearly, the pros of a PC are far more than consoles. But the main thing is majority of average middle class people all over the world can afford a PC. And they don't see much value in a console this gen due to meagre exclusives. Unless you are poor and can't afford a gaming PC, console gamine does not look like a good value proposition.
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RetroGamingUK
Member
See these are things that matter to YOU.
It’s like when Android users boast about the modification and more open features while ranting about how iPhones are closed.
And the iPhone users don’t give a toss because those things don’t appeal to them.
yurinka
Member
They consider the rising gamedev costs and inflations. This is the reason of why they are growing their revenue and profitability by expanding their game IPs to other platforms and non-gaming areas like movies, tv shows or theme park rides, plus try to milk with remasters or whatever they can. Plus also growing their first party to better cover important top selling game types they didn't cover well enough before (shooters, platformers, MP, GaaS).
AAA are a very risky venture in general. Particularly new IPs. Sony is the only big publishers with balls to make half of their new games being new IPs.
Regarding SP non-GaaS AAA games vs MP GaaS AAA games there is a big difference: for SP they have to pay the full development before release. Most of the money goes on art, animation and audio for the many dozens of NPCs and enemies plus environment art of the giant landscapes.
In case of GaaS they release the game when only a portion of the whole designed game is developed (so when only spent a portion of the budget), a minimum viable product. If it works, they continue developing the rest (spending the rest of the budget).
The idea is that if the project fails in the market, to detect it faster and cut the budget before they spend it reducing the potential loses. And after launch perform wells, to continue investing on post launch support depending on performance.
On top of this, the potential revenue in case of being successful is much higher than in SP game due to recurrent postlaunch payments such as microtransactions, passes, etc.
Most top grossing and most played games in gaming and in PS are GaaS. GaaS has the majority of the userbase and game revenue, and the revenue % of total game revenue from addons keeps growing year after year and the revenue % from game sales keep decreasing year after year.
So looking at the future, to get locked in SP non-GaaS isn't only more risky: it's a financial suicide.
Concord is a failure but GT7, MLB, Destiny 2 and Helldivers 2 are successes. There are failures in GaaS, like always there have been in non-GaaS titles. The difference is that in case of Concord they were able to axe it before spending the whole budget.
Nishino and Hermen mentioned there's no canibalization and it's something we can see in their numbers: record active userbase in console, with record spending, PS5 hardware sales aren't in record numbers because of the period of shortages, they are increasing their market share in the console area, and leaked number showed us around half of PS5 users are new to PS. That aprox. half is around the size of the entire Xbox userbase, meaning many players are coming from somewhere else (PC).
A year or so after starting this PC push they not only released the PS5. They also released first party games. And they -including sequels of ported games- broke sales records for the fastest selling Sony game ever with titles released in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
And well, they have record numbers and a multiyear growth trend in mostly every single console area. PC is not generating cannibalization, if something it's helping them to grow not only in general, but particularly in the console area.
Yes, like console and PC mobile is saturated and challenging. But Sony needs to grow. The console market doesn't grow but they are growing their console marketshare and improving most metrics. Sony is also growing in PC -so far already is a top 10 publisher in Steam history in reviews so probably sales- and outside gaming.
And is working to also grow in mobile, to particularly grow in the biggest and fastest growing markets of the world, particularly Asia in general (China and India in particular), EMEA and I assume somewhere in the future LATAM too. Markets where console represents a small portion of the gaming market and are more dominated by mobile than the west. In these markets regarding AAA PC is more popular than console, so this is part of the reason of why they wanted to grow in PC.
On top of that the hardware tech, OS, game engines, storefronts of console, PC and mobile have been converging during years, and will continue. Some gaming stores like MS or Epic will cover all 3 markets. And some of the most popular games like Fortnite or the Mihoyo ones are in all 3 markets. So Sony at some point will also have to expand PSN to PC and mobile to compete against them.
Any investment guarantees successful games. Same applies to internally developed games (as seen in Concord) and 3rd parties (as seen in the new IPs from Square Enix).
It isn't geolocked, you can play anywhere in the world. Countries where there's 90%+ of the game revenue and userbase have their own store to create the PSN account and buy games. Other countries don't, but in these regions they simply use a nearby store to do so.
As an example, Chinese players instead of using the Chinese PSN store normally use the Hong Kong one, also available in Chinese but in their case not limiting the catalog because they have all games and not only the few ones approved by the Chinese government.
Yes, and for that reason they have to increase the potential revenue generated by their games and also their profitability marging. Plus also tyring to somehow predict better if the game they start will be successful around 5-9 years in the future (not easy, gaming market quickly changes frequently) and if possible to reduce costs.
Not related to PS. They are happy with the results of the PS Productions products so far.
That's bullshit. The first year of the gen they had TLOU2, Dreams or GoT released months before than the console, plus Astro, Morales and Demon's Souls. In 2021 got Ratchet or Returnal. In 2022 GoWR, HFW or GT7, in 2023 Spider-Man 2 or TLOUP1, this year Helldivers 2, Destiny 2 TFS or Astro.
All of them in their context with great reviews and earning several awards and getting -each one in their context- great sales, in most cases the best ones for the series or studio (or super close) or even being the fastest selling game ever for Sony (case of titles released in 3 or the 4 most recent years).
MGS is a 3rd party game/IP, there have been a ton of critically acclaimed ones this generation, as could be FFVII Rebirth this year.
Each individual team from any company -as happens every generation- takes longer to make games than in the previous one because they are longer, bigger, more detailed and complex. This is why -as an example- ND SP teams didn't still released a game since TLOU2, or Kojipro still haven't released DS2, or why SSM still haven't released Cory's new IP.
"Niche audience" of Helldivers 2 = fastest selling Sony game ever
"Niche audience" of MLB = one of the best selling games of the year in PS every year
"Niche audience" of Astro Bot = pretty likely on track to be the best selling internally developed Japan Studio game ever, and also the best selling platformer Sony game ever. And yes, Mario platforming game sales seem to be a let's say "very small" niche. I don't know why Sony would chase a portion of that xD
Stellar and Ronin yes, they target smaller niches that Sony considers they also have to cover, and for their context/niche/ they seem to be happy with their performance.
Sony covers multiple genres to offer variety and appealing products to different player types with different tastes. And some people still complain that they only make too similar SP narrative action adventures.
With their idea of having a dozen IPs with GaaS in around a handful years from now (they no longer have this deadline), as Jim Ryan said Sony didn't expect all of them to be the next Fortnite. They knew a few were going to be cancelled, a few were going to fail, a few were going to be a great success and some would do ok. It's normal in game publishers or when a business angel/venture capital investor invests in a round of a dozen or two of projects.
So far Destiny 2 (with the exception of Lightfall, fixed in the very successful TFS), MLB, GT7 and Helldivers 2 have been a great success. Concord and (I assume this one coming, being VR only) Firewall Ultra failed.
From the remaining six (Marathon, Fairgame$, Horizon Online, "gummybears", Bend new IP, ex-Deviations project) they only need most of them to perform ok/good and maybe get one big hit from there. I assume one or two of them being a fail or ended cancelled would be ok/normal, particularly for the new teams.
You can only focus solely on positive metrics when all metrics are positive, and most of them even in all time records and in a multi year growth. And when the ones that are very good but not great / record breaking (case of hardware sale) kt is because were clearly affected by external factors they couldn't control:
- Covid+rise of virtual currency mining+rise of AI+rise of electric vehicles making the components too expensive to the point consoles have not been able to be price cutted but instead had to rise prices. And even had a period when they couldn't sell the console
- Western economical elites causing the inflation to skyrocket because they kept printing dollars and euros in a nonsensical way while at the same time burning bridges with China and Russia (so blocking cheaper stuff coming from there) and highly growing the national debts with super expensive unneeded costs. Inflation also pushed them to increase prices, since costs of everything got more expensive than usual (as an example, shipments are way more expensive now because fuel is way more expensive)
- Economy being fucked in the countries of the players due to inflation, so they keep active in PS4 but still haven't upgraded to PS5, also because many of their favorite games kept being released, in case of crossgen titles, or still kept getting support many years after launch, in case of GaaS.
This is directly a lie.
This is another lie.
Are you enjoying on PC games like Astro Bot, Stellar Blade, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Spider-Man 2, Gran Turismo 7, Bloodborne, just to name a few of them? No.
In the case of Sony every year there are more (in many cases timed) console exclusives being released than PC ports of old games. Which means the amount of console exclusives keep growing every year instead of decreasing.
But well, in any case the main reason to play on console aren't the exclusive games, because most of the best selling and most played games on console are multiplatform. There are other reasons like the plug and play experience, a better price/horsepower balance, not having to worry about needing to upgrade your hardware in like 7 years or more knowing that games will perform well in your device while you won't have to worry if your device performs well enough with this or that new game, or needing to spend a lot of time to optimize the performance in your device, etc.
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midnightAI
Member
darrylgorn
Member
RetroGamingUK
Member
Thankyou for clearly and comprehensively calling out SyedDanishAnwar on the utter nonsense he repeatedly spreads.
Negotiator101
Member
One game
don't post nonsense.
yurinka
Member
You're welcome
Yes, Astro Bot was greenlighted by Hermen and Jimbo because it was started around 3-4 years ago. Hermen started in November 2019 (when Yoshida moved to create and manage PS Indies) and Jim in April 2019. It might be the first one internally developed greenlighted by both.
Games like Concord (Sony apparently started to work on it in 2018), Helldivers II (Hermen allowed them to have a 5 years delay, but was supposed to originally release in 2019), Ronin (started in 2015) or Spider-Man 2 (started in 2018 as the first one shipped) were greenlighted before them.
There are also some 2nd party case like Stellar Blade, which started before them as a multiplatform game without Sony, but when Hermen and Jim were in charge signed it as console exclusive once Yoshida found it while scouting indies.
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1) SIE was easily the best managed company in the entertainment industry until Totoki took over (Totoki is in charge) :
-Nintendo sales and profits are in free fall (and nobody gives a damn)
-PlayStation overtook Nintendo in Asia
-PS5 sold 2.5 million units in Japan in 2023, the highest ever for a PlayStation console since the PS2 in 2004 ·
-PS is outselling Xbox 2 to 1 in the US for the first time in 20 years
-SIE games are selling better than ever in the US
-The PS5 generation has been as profitable as all the four previous generations combined
-Microsoft games are coming to PS5
2) Jim Ryan set the stage to sell 140m and dominate gaming like never before, but Totoki only cares about margins.
High margins will boost short-term profits and kill PlayStation in Europe and Japan
High margin strategy requires assets. And PlayStation (G&NS) is starving because Music are Pictures are eating well (atrocious capital allocation by Totoki)
3) PlayStation (G&NS) is a wonderful business owned by Sony Group, a dysfunctional conglomerate run by accountants in their 60s (Yoshida and Totoki) willing to increase their own compensation by squeezing more profits out of PlayStation.
Yoshida (1959) and Totoki (1964) have no future. They're willing to run PlayStation into the ground in order to achieve their financial goals.
4) David Gibson (MST Financial) has been warning people:
-Nintendo sales and profits are in free fall (and nobody gives a damn)
-PlayStation overtook Nintendo in Asia
-PS5 sold 2.5 million units in Japan in 2023, the highest ever for a PlayStation console since the PS2 in 2004 ·
-PS is outselling Xbox 2 to 1 in the US for the first time in 20 years
-SIE games are selling better than ever in the US
-The PS5 generation has been as profitable as all the four previous generations combined
-Microsoft games are coming to PS5
2) Jim Ryan set the stage to sell 140m and dominate gaming like never before, but Totoki only cares about margins.
High margins will boost short-term profits and kill PlayStation in Europe and Japan
High margin strategy requires assets. And PlayStation (G&NS) is starving because Music are Pictures are eating well (atrocious capital allocation by Totoki)
3) PlayStation (G&NS) is a wonderful business owned by Sony Group, a dysfunctional conglomerate run by accountants in their 60s (Yoshida and Totoki) willing to increase their own compensation by squeezing more profits out of PlayStation.
Yoshida (1959) and Totoki (1964) have no future. They're willing to run PlayStation into the ground in order to achieve their financial goals.
4) David Gibson (MST Financial) has been warning people:
RetroGamingUK
Member
This hasn’t affected their traditional studios though.
Most of GAAS is coming from newly acquired studios
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