Back when we were deep into the current gaming era, Sony made headlines with their ambitious plan – they aimed to roll out ten games as part of a live service lineup. This move was all about expanding our options from Sony and setting up consistent income channels through these titles.
However, after the disappointing launch and closure of the first-person shooter game Concord one year ago, the platform owner has felt compelled to implement significant internal reforms.
As a dedicated gamer myself, I’ve been keeping an eye on the behind-the-scenes adjustments by Sony’s PlayStation Studios, led by Hermen Hulst, to ensure we don’t face the same issues again. The team has been working diligently to rectify past challenges, as revealed in a recent interview with the Financial Times (though it seems you might need a subscription to access it).
Instead, he’s subtly indicated that his business is shifting focus from merely producing a large number of live-service games, and is now prioritizing the quality and diversity of their game offerings.
While the quantity of live service games might not be crucial, a varied player experience and a strong sense of community are what truly matter to me. To ensure this, we’ve significantly increased our testing, making it more thorough and frequent across various methods. The benefit of each mistake lies in the fact that it highlights the importance of such oversight.
The article details how PlayStation has increased its collaborative efforts by conducting extensive group testing. This collaboration promotes the exchange of knowledge among various studios, and strengthens the bond between executive teams.
For Sony, particularly Hulst, a key issue lies in enabling their stable of developers to showcase their creative potential, all while adhering to the company’s continuous expansion objective.
He expressed that it’s not ideal for teams to stick with the same conservative strategies all the time. Instead, his preference is that if we do encounter failures, they happen as soon as possible and at a minimal cost.
It’s possible that the high number of cancellations in PlayStation Studios is due to the recent shelving of several projects from studios like Bluepoint, Bend Studio, and Firesprite. This could indicate a decision to terminate projects earlier, rather than waiting until it might be too late.
It appears that Sony, regarding fresh intellectual properties, aims for a comprehensive approach. Simply creating an outstanding game isn’t sufficient; they strive for creations that can also translate into animated series, movies, TV shows, manga, comic books, and so forth.
Hulst explained:
Our strategy for inventing intellectual property is deliberate, aiming to convert fresh ideas into enduring franchises for PlayStation. These franchises can later resonate with people not just in the gaming world.
Despite finding some aspects less appealing, it’s clear that Sony is aiming for something innovative. There was a time when PlayStation supported an array of peculiar yet captivating projects with their development funds, such as Vib Ribbon and PAIN.
These days, I’d say the gaming world is largely dominated by independent developers, but AAA companies are still giving creators worldwide a platform through their Hero Project initiatives.
It appears that PlayStation is now concentrating on creating brands not only to boost console sales but also to support Sony’s broader goal of establishing itself as a dominant force in entertainment. This emphasis could be better understood when considering their focus on popular franchises like God of War, Horizon, and the upcoming Physint, which all have potential across various media formats.
Indeed, maintaining the live service component remains a priority for PlayStation: A significant portion of their earnings comes from microtransactions within select titles. It appears they’ve implemented additional safety measures to prevent a debacle similar to Concord from happening in the future.
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2025-08-24 17:07