Blimey, Only Four in Ten PlayStation Games Actually Make Money

So what are the games that actually make money? Uncharted? Littlebig Planet? New PS4 Killzone? The Last of Us?

@XFsWorld I suspect it'd probably be things like that, yeah. Yoshida was characteristically vague in the interview, and obviously didn't mention anything in particular. Interesting stuff nonetheless.

Now to think maybe those who dont give money actually is vita titles...
Seriously even i love every first party game on vita maybe only uncharted is making money there..

I'm sure it's increased since then, but I know that 2009's Uncharted 2 only cost 20M. I don't think that includes marketing bough.

@Jaz007 oh i meant to say maybe the only first party profit on vita is uncharted golden abyss?

@divinelite I meant to @ adf86, not you. I accidentally clicked on yours, and then clicked his, and then accidentally removed his instead of yours. My bad.

This is kinda vague I mean it doesn't tell you what type of Playstation games this relates to, is it the smaller unique japan studio games or the bigger Infamous/Uncharted games.

@Jazzer94 It's not clear in that quote, but I think he was talking about everything produced by the worldwide studios, so yeah, the Japan studio stuff and also the infamous/uncharted stuff

He didn't mention a platform, and I can't tell if he's talking only about the games Sony makes or all games released on Sony consoles. Still, 30%-40% success rate isn't good no matter how you slice it.

I bet not a single Wonderbook game made money, even though Diggs and Dinosaurs looked good they were stealthily released. At least they didn't waste a lot of money on marketing.

I also have to wonder how many games break even. Be if a game breaks even, it can still be a good investment since it can help push consoles and increase consumer loyalty.

I'm not really surprised. For every Last of Us Sony release there's a Lair or a Sorcery or a Wonder book. Just not enough quality in the portfolio. Add to that the fact Sony have entirely failed to market some fantastic games and it explains their poor profits.In the top 20 selling games on the PS4 Sony have three games, 15%! Microsoft on the other have have 40% of the games in the Xbox360's top 20 games. Sony not only don't know what their customers want but have also failed to sell the products they're offering. That's a recipe for disaster.

'After selling a PS4 to about every living human...'. I like that mood

Maybe if the majority of players weren't that interested in expensive graphics the numbers would be very different. And before everyone says anything in their own defense, I don't include regulars here, as we are the vocal minority.

Maybe that is why they don't want to make more AAA titles on Vita?

For every game like Minecraft that sells a billion there's many more that are roundly ignored by the media and consumers at large. Most can only hope of getting a cult following. Even flagship games like Little Big Planet struggled to make a dent in the charts. That being said, (and I know I'm repeating myself, sorry) there's something wrong when a game like Tomb Raider is considered a financial disappointment even after topping the charts and selling a million in its first week of release. It reeks of an industry that just can't sustain itself. Hence the proliferation of indies that everyone keeps moaning about nowadays.

@k_andersen See now I want to know more about this and in greater detail in how they manage their games ah well.

Thus far, the comments seem to be ignoring the subsidizing element here. He said that some of their games sell SO well as to make back the money spent on other titles. IMO, this is a FANTASTIC business method as it increases the variety of software available for your hardcore fanbase. Some games are just very unlikely to make a profit for one reason or another, but you can't do justice to a creative medium if you refuse to make them because of that individual basis.

Seems you're damned if you do or don't though...people complain when companies are all about profit, and they're concerned when they decide to carefully play the numbers like this.

@get2sammyb Yeah, that too. I really wish Nintendo would consider doing that, but it's been increasing obvious over the years that they don't want to release ANYTHING they can't make a fat wad on anymore (and yet Glory of Heracles made it out for some bizarre reason...go figure). And Microsoft...well, I guess they think it's okay to just bank on a small selection of IP's, and to be fair it's mostly seemed to work for them for a while. Not too sure that'll pan out this go-round, though.

This kind of saddens me, but the fact that Shuhei was willing to say it out loud like that tells me they have confidence in the method.

Still, the notion of titles like rain, Sound Shapes, Echochrome, Unfinished Swan and Puppeteer not getting made would be... unfortunate.

I wish there would be another thatgamecompany-type success story where investing in a creative team would yield massive success. For that, I'm expecting good things from Pixelopus (Sony's newest, internally-grown team).

I wonder whether this is the reason both Sony and Microsoft are pushing subscriptions. Will the likes of Playstation Now in future be replacing the need for individual sales and allow a greater diversity of gaming?

It's probably even more skewed with newer, bigger budget titles shooting for cinematic experiences. I wouldnt be surprised if The Order's budget as a PS4 title easily overshadows the budgets for most PS3 exclusives, especially in the advertising department.