The industry is experiencing a crisis from which no one has escaped. From small studios to large market leaders, all are suffering from waves of layoffs, poor work practices, and long and complex development cycles that lead to ever-increasing production costs.
Despitea privileged position in the sector, PlayStation has not escaped these and other problems that put its developers and studios at risk. After taking the series bad decisions and make important management changesthe company may face crisis of 2024.
Related video: Sony is a thing of the past
Dance on the rope
Parish of a PS5 and the mandate of Art Jim Ryan brought with them important changes in strategy PlayStation. The last few months have made it clear that part of the plan has failed and that sooner or later the consequences will follow.
One of the first warning signs is on the road map of PlayStation Studios. What will the big brand teams offer in the coming months? So far, almost nothing has been confirmed. This is alarming, as the company has accustomed its players to a constant stream of releases. It is enough to think back to the PS4 era and the beginning of the PS5 generation to notice the difference with today.
That pitching rhythm was disrupted by Ryan’s change of direction and one of his biggest failures: commitment to games as a service. This strategy made all the sense in the world, but it was just poorly executed. PlayStation wants players to spend more time in its ecosystem, which is not possible with only single-player games that lack a multiplayer component.
This is not accidental God of War: Ragnarok got a roguelike mode or something The Last of Us Part II: Remastered have a similar after canceling your new multiplayer project. These are the modalities that allow the player to play these titles that would otherwise probably be gathering dust on the shelf. These additions come at a time when it’s inevitable that they won’t be seen as an alternative to extend the life of certain titles while other PlayStation Studios projects emerge.
So games as a service is an obvious choice for the brand; However, the multiplayer The last of us was canceled, and it is not known in which direction the rest of the projects will go. What is confirmed is that Sony eventually changed its strategy. Originally 12 games were planned as a service, but decided to postpone 6 of them to avoid a potential disaster. However, the damage was already done and layoffs were inevitable.
We know that some games as a service of the company, for example Concord, will appear this year, but will they manage to stand out and stay relevant, or will they simply fade into obscurity? It’s hard to say yet, but they’re unlikely to be next Fortnite or have influence Interball world in his debut. It should also be taken into account that Bungeehis star studio in this sector is in crisis. Destiny 2: The Final Shape It has been delayed for many months, reports say Marathon This may continue until 2025.
Sure, the brand’s other studios have projects in development, but once they’re announced, how long will it take for them to appear? Will third-party apps and games-as-a-service be enough to replace the brand’s hallmark, namely its single-player games?
According to various reports, Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, London Studio and Bend Studio They work on new IPs. This is great news, as everything points to these iconic teams finally stepping into new territory and leaving their star franchises behind, if only for a moment.
We know that development cycles and production costs put PlayStation between a rock and a hard place. Shawn Layden, the company’s former CEO, has made this point several times: the industry is on an unsustainable path as development costs continue to rise. To this we must add the long periods required to create AAA today. Will it take years for new IP addresses to arrive? This is very likely and could be a big problem in the long run.
Analysts believe that the business of the Japanese company is under threat precisely because of the costs of development and production. So it’s normal to know that Sony and PlayStation are betting on new strategies. However, one stumble can really end in disaster. Recent leaks have shown this Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 It cost $300 billion, which is more than Sony paid to buy it. Games from insomnia. With all this in mind, what’s the alternative for the PlayStation?
To fill the gaps in their calendar and give them time to study, the company chose 3 things: re-releases, third-party exclusives and new, smaller-scale content for successful games.
All indications are that Sony’s gaming division will repeat this plan throughout 2024. It is already launched The Last of Us Part II Remastered and a new version this week Until dawn for PS5 and PC. On the other hand, they are verified exclusively by third parties Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Rise of the Ronin, Silent Hill 2, Star blade, FOAMSTARS, among others. Finally, more PC ports and some DLC for a recent PlayStation Studios game, e.g Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Recent Game state there were interesting announcements; However, it is still worrying that most of them still have no confirmed date and that the main studios of the brand are missing. Remake Silent Hill 2 caused quite a lot of doubt, so far Death Stranding 2: On the beach will arrive in 2025. Also, Hideo Kojima has announced a new spy title that will practically reach the next generation.
Related video: PlayStation under threat from games as a service
Will this be a bad year for PlayStation?
The problems do not end there, as the company is at a crossroads. It is ready to expand and expand beyond its consoles. His growth in PC, mobile and cloud It will be gradual, but it will undoubtedly affect the perception of the brand by fans and players in general.
Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony’s CEO, recently confirmed that one of his goals is to be multi-platform. Apparently, seriously, because there are rumors about it The last of us, part 2, God of War: Ragnarok, Souls of demons, Ghost of Tsushima in Gran Turisma 7 They will appear on computers in 2024.
On social media, you can already read the displeasure of the community, not only because of the lack of PlayStation Studios products this year, but also because they feel that the brand identity is getting weaker every time. All in favor of expansion, which from a business point of view is undoubtedly necessary. Mainly after the last movements of Xboxin whose hands all the franchises are now Activision Blizzard.
There’s also another big unresolved issue the company has on its hands. Jim Ryan will leave his position in March this year and will be replaced by Hiroki Totoki, who will become the new interim head of PlayStation. Will the Japanese manager dare to change the strategy proposed for this generation? Or will you follow it to the letter despite the obvious risks?
The prognosis for the brand does not look good as documents leaked after the Insomniac Games hack revealed that more layoffs could be in the future. There is even talk of another closure of the studio, which will undoubtedly be a strong blow for the brand.
We don’t want to be alarmists. The reality is that 2024 is far from terrible for PlayStation players. The content is there and quite attractive. What’s really worrying is the company’s silence about its most prominent research and projects, as well as the transition it’s going through.
Until when do we see something new from Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, Guerrilla, Sucker Punch, Housemarque, Bend Studio, Team Asobi and Bluepoint? Will studios like Media Molecule survive or have a future like Japan Studios and PixelOpus? This uncertainty worries many fans.
However, all indications are that 2024 is the year for PlayStation to clean things up, clarify the direction it will take after its games-as-a-service debacle, and improve its connection with the community.
So far, the company has not neglected its players, as it already has a good release schedule planned; However, it couldn’t take much longer to show what his research is up to. It will depend on whether 2024 turns out to be a truly memorable year or just another year for the brand.
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