Around six months ago, Korean media reported that Sony was sniffing around the region’s local talent in order to shore up content from emerging studios. In the past few weeks, it’s signed deals with Stellar Blade developer Shift Up and MMO maker NCSOFT – both of which were predicted by business outlets like MTN.
But according to that original report, the Japanese giant was planning investment in a trio of other studios, most notably Black Desert’s Pearl Abyss, Lies of P’s Neowiz, and Summoners War’s Com2uS. At the time, media framed it as PlayStation’s response to Microsoft’s unprecedented acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but it doesn’t seem particularly out of character for the firm; it’s been scouring emerging nations like China for some time, for example. Additionally, earlier this year, it announced the India Hero Project, which will see it nurture and cultivate local teams in the area.
Obviously, nothing’s been announced yet, and it’s perfectly feasible negotiations could fall through – but seeing as we’ve seen deals with Shift Up and NCSOFT announced this month, it’s perfectly possible more may follow. With the industry increasingly finding itself embroiled in an acquisition war, locking down content from overlooked outfits could be one road to success for the firm.
[source news.mtn.co.kr]
Comments 21
I just want more news of Stellar Blade, it feels like an eternity.
Neowiz for sure. Lies of P has been an absolutely amazing soulslike and I can't wait to see what that team does next with their IP.
I'd love to see Sony contributing in some way to Crimson Desert.
That's my most hyped game after FF VII Rebirth and Dragon's Dogma 2.
Some Sony polish wouldn't do any harm.
I'm not sure if I want Neowiz to be acquired by Sony. I would want their next game to be day one on a subscription service at no extra fee rather than behind a $70+ paywall and 3 years later the same game with just a few textures added being sold as a "director cut", "remake"
Nice to see this kind of partnership blooming in Korea, the gamedev scene there was always strong but was never noticed outside some MMOs and gacha games.
@Foxx_64740 They probably contacted Neowiz to add Lies of P in PS Plus.
@CielloArc it'll be a great addition! Such a good game!
There’s some really awesome looking video game development going on in S Korea, in addition to their blossoming TV (Squid Game) and movie (Parasite) output. Japan better up their game to keep up. 😅
@Th3solution Koreas movie industry has always been strong, some of my favourite movies have come from there for years.
Prices are now paywalls. Have we reached Peak Entitlement as a society now?
On a similar note I wanted to have a McMuffin for breakfast today but the cheeky gits put it behind a £4.00 paywall. What the heck is our society coming to?
@ChrisDeku well said.
@CKFilms imagine if they let them create a Bloodborne 2 and a lies of p 2. Would be incredible
Good. Sony needs to lean into Asian content more, especially Japanese content. Lots of good stuff comes out of South Korea these days and it will just get better.
@Foxx_64740
You don't want Neowiz to grow because you don't want to buy their games and support the developer? Interesting philosophy there.
@ChrisDeku if I have to pay for something it's a paywall, you can call it price if you want. My point is, I'll always look for the best deal for my wallet as a consumer. Is this entitlement? Not for me. I'm not refusing to pay, I'm looking for the lowest price 😁
@TheCollector316 almost there, I have nothing against them growing.
But as I said above, I will always want to pay less and get more. Companies on the other hand will always want to deliver less and earn more. That's how I think. Feel free to disagree.
@Foxx_64740 Well then I'd much rather own the game outright then rent it through a subscription pay wall.
@MrMagic okay and I respect that
@PlayStationGamer3919 or playstation plus, I prefer the subscription model. Although their not free, but cheaper
If acquisitions are going to happen, Neowiz would be a fantastic get. For being their second game — maybe something you’d actually consider their first — Lies of P was a phenomenal achievement. And with the inevitable DLC and sequel, they have plenty of stories left in the tank.
@Foxx_64740
I certainly cannot fault either of your statements below, so I agree. Voting with our wallets is the only recourse we consumers have, and it only works if we wield that power responsibly. Too many folks with more money than sense ruin it for the rest of us, though.
"I will always want to pay less and get more. Companies on the other hand will always want to deliver less and earn more."
I feel like the Indian hero project will be a bunch of Indians scamming Sony 😂
It's really nice to see an increased focus on the greater asian area in the industry, especially with Sony's Hero Projects helping blossom a development scene in places like India. For so long in the console market in particular the focus has been on "Western games" (North America and Western Europe) and Japanese games - not "Eastern games", just Japanese ones really.
@Mephisto2869 Yeah, people are only just starting to notice the tip of that iceberg.
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