We can probably all agree that it's been a solid but unspectacular year for PlayStation 4 exclusives, with titles like Bloodborne, Tearaway Unfolded, and Until Dawn on offer. Fortunately, Sony's the first to admit that 2015 hasn't been its strongest year from a first-party perspective – but it's looking forward to wowing people with its roster of releases in 2016.
"We have worked very closely with third-parties this year because our first-party lineup was not as strong as we would have liked," an honest Michael Ephraim, who's the managing director at Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, admitted. "Still, we're pretty confident with the way that Christmas is going. The demand is strong."
And according to the executive, said demand is only going to get stronger over the coming months. "Next year, our first-party lineup looks incredible," he beamed. "You've got Street Fighter V, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, No Man's Sky, The Last Guardian, and Gran Turismo Sport. These are all exclusives, and two of them are new franchises."
The craziest thing is that Ephraim's missing a slew of games: Gravity Rush 2, Shadow of the Beast, Dreams, Alienation, and Horizon: Zero Dawn – although the latter is looking the likeliest to get delayed. Even if the promising Guerrilla Games role-playing release should get held back, though, it's still going to be a mammoth year – and that's before even mentioning PlayStation VR.
[source gamespot.com]
Comments 60
If Bloodborne isn't your thing (which goes for me, and quite a bit of people I believe), it's been a rather poor year. Least 2014 had Infamous.
We will see how 2016 rolls out, I reckon a delay may sideline one or two, bit overall I'm excited.
Just gonna play devil's advocate here: but I feel like this narrative about more focus on 1st-part titles gets spun every other day.
I don't know, maybe I just feel like with 17 or so studios in their employ, there should be FAR more titles coming out at a factory-line efficiency (for instance, where's a new Ape Escape?)
@WickedKnightAl Japan Studio's not long finished on Bloodborne and is working on The Last Guardian and Gravity Rush 2, so you're not getting Ape Escape any time soon I shouldn't think.
I think clearly they intended to have Sony Santa Monica's cancelled game this Christmas, so there's your gap. Making games is a creative process, so you're never going to get factory-line efficiency. Sometimes things just don't work out and you end up losing time while you create new prototypes or solve difficult technical issues.
Not the headline many would go for...but I like it! Giving a positive spin on it and accompanying it with my most anticipated game for 2016!
This year has been slightly above average. A few decent titles, a few poor ones and a few that have been overhyped to crazy levels. I really have not bothered about exclusives since my Sega / Nintendo days. Especially as the current and last gens simply added another number to an already ongoing series or rehashed an old IP.
However have had plenty to pique my personal interest, and I still have Witcher 3, Batman and Metal Gear to get back to after Fallout 4.
If anything this year has seen a huge decline in the sports game quality, a shame but something that was inevitable.
Anyway here's to 2016 and hoping we get spoilt a bit more than this past twelve months.
Dont forget this year we had The Ord.... Nevermind.
Rachet and Clank is next year so yay!
I must admit that overall, Sony's PS4 exclusives have been quite disappointing from my perspective. Killzone: Shadow Fall looked great but couldn't match 2's Campaign or 3's MP for me. Infamous: Second Son was another game that didn't live up to my expectations after the PS3's Infamous games.
The likes of Bloodbourne (liked the concept but not that style of game - I don't like the 'Souls' games either), The Order (visually stunning but lacking in the gameplay), Until Dawn (a lot of potential but again not the best in game play) etc Apart from Bloodbourne, the exclusives just do not match the multi-plat games and standards (not talking Visuals but game play, content etc) set in those in my opinion.
Of those definitely out in 2016, only Uncharted 4 appeals. Horizon: Zero Dawn looks like it has a lot of potential and as such is my most anticipated new IP, but I doubt I would buy let alone download any of the others mentioned even if they were free.
No doubt SF5 will be ok if you like fighting games, Gran Tourismo if you like racing games but these are not games that appeal. I also preferred 'Resistance' to Ratchet and Clank by a big margin so can't say I am excited by that either.
I know that Sony have a good variety of games in its line-up - either released or due out in the next year or so. I also know that you can't make games that appeal to everyone all the time. I am not being critical of Sony's exclusive line-up as I know that many of these will appeal to others and Sony is catering to them too.
At least they recognise the need to up their exclusive line up and hopefully we will see more games arriving and maybe more that appeal to me too.
@JoeBlogs Exactly, good point.
They just didn't really need the exclusives this year, and we still got some good ones. I think once they realized they would still sell boatloads of ps4's WITHOUT A ton of great exclusives, they were in no hurry to rush some out that may could have possibly made it this holiday. I would rather the games not be rushed and let the developers make it the way they see fit. I think 2016 will be absolutely epic in the first party front.
@BAMozzy Yo, I'll take them all for free! Thanks!
Sorry but Sony telling Street Fighter and No Man's Sky as exclusive is a great sign of another lame exclusive year. If you count timed exclusives or console exclusives are the exclusives we are looking for than you are mistaken.
Ratchet and Clank needs a mention, even if it is a remaster, I think it's remastered enough to have a lot of people excited, and it seems a safe bet to release in 2016.
And I don't really care that it's no longer exclusive, hasn't been for awhile now, but FFXV is the main reason I'm buying a PS4. Even if it were getting an NX port I still need to play it on a Sony console. Better be good though after XCX.
So yes, 2016 >>> 2015 No contest.
I haven't had time for all of the games this year - god help me next year.
@get2sammyb LOL - I bet you would!! I see little to no point downloading a game I won't play - at least not more than an hour or 2 at most. Its more the principal and what those games mean to me. I am not criticising them at all, just saying they have no appeal to me
@get2sammyb towards the end of this month would be really nice to see a Pushsquare special about what comes next in terms of exclusives in 2016.
I am really loosing count on them. There are too many!!!
Not sure I like the phrase "and two of them are new franchises", like they want those milked to death as well.
All sounds good But I got a feeling GT:Sport and Horizon will be 2017 games. Even TLG I bet will get delayed to 2017. Even if they do, 2016 will be AMAZING for the PS4 anyway
@arnoldlayne83 Good idea!
I'm most interested in Horizon, No Man's Sky, and The Last Guardian but the rest definitely arent slouches. Nintendo seems to be planning some craziness too, it's going to be a great 2016 for gaming.
Aliennation and uncharted alone makes 2016 awesome
As usual, looking forward to Uncharted 4, SFV and Horizon.
And as usual for me, the clamour for exclusives is obvious when Sony has already abandoned the PS3 and mostly the Vita, so with only one system you expect to see more games from first party studios.
@iARDAs Hello you seem to forget that Sony is paying for SF V to be developed and that Japan Studios is working closely with Capcom to get it done. Also Sony is publishing No Mans Sky so its console exclusive forever. Sony won't pay to publish a game if the game isn't console exclusive. Both of those games will be on PC but never on any other console.
2016 should be a amazing year for PS Fans and I'm excited for games like The Tomorrow Children, No Mans Sky, and MLB The Show 16.
Cheers!!!
@GrafUlrich88 They can take the lead but if a game is also coming to PC than it is not an exclusive game. Sony's attempt of advertisin Street Fighter and No Mans Sky is as pathetic as Microsoft's attempt of Tomb Raider. I just hope VR will be amazing and available in first half of 2016. Other than that there are 2-3 exclusives games that are worth playing. I am talking about real exclusives.
I personally thought this year was excellent.
The Order
Helldivers
FFXIV Heavensward expansion
Bloodborne (quickly became my favorite game)
God of War 3 remaster
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3
Until Dawn
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
And I've still got Onechanbara, J-Stars Victory, Tearaway Unfolded, Earth Defense Force 4.1 and Dragon Quest Heroes to get to.
Gotta get to all that before the 2016 titles start dropping.
@iARDAs
It's a console exclusive, again, not all of us enjoy games on our PC, some of us such as myself are console only players.
@sub12 Console exclusive, timed exclusive are wordings to clarify that a game is not really an exclusive. They are marketing gimmicks. If a certain game is available in another platform, does not matter console or not, than that game is not an exclusive. Uncharted 4 is an exclusive, Last of Us is an exclusive. No Mans Sky nor Street Fighter are exclusives.
@iARDAs
It's a console exclusive, and for those of us who don't play on the PC, it's just as important as a single platform exclusive. It's been a common part of this industry since the original Xbox and Halo. Maybe you should sell your PC or your PS4, lol.
This year the only real exclusive I've played is Until Dawn which I really liked and of course the magnificent Rocket League (yes it's on pc). That's not to say I haven't enjoyed this year, in fact it's one of the best I've had in gaming.
Next year and beyond though seems to be full to the brim of exclusives starting with Uncharted 4. Other than this I'm really excited for Horizon and will also be buying Ratchet and Clank, No Man's Sky, Persona 5, The last Guardian, Gran Turismo, Ni No Kuni 2, FFVII Remake, Dreams and maybe Gravity Rush to name but a few then add in FFXV and I'm going to be pretty busy
There are definitely some games I'm looking forward to next year, which is why I'm really hoping for a PS4 for Christmas. If I had to wait any longer for Ratchet & Uncharted, I'd probably die.
I really do not mind how many exclusives Sony has got out this year or next year as long as there are games to play which are good I am happy.
@sub12 OMG Thats so terrible that other people could play some nice games besides the PS4 gamers..... Whats your point go be sad gamers somewhere else mate. Uncharted 4, Rachet and Clank, Everybody Golf, Persona 5, Gravity Rush and lot more I dont care If some other players can enjoy the nice other games.
2015 more then enough PS4 exclusive games. : D
@get2sammyb Why do you think Horizon will get delayed? Just because of the size of the game and the tradition of delayed games we've seen lately, or is it something else? Just curious.
@WickedKnightAl I wanna ask you how many games did you buy this year. Man Im still playing games from 2015 and we didnt have any games this year.....
You know its nuts to make so many exclusive games its kinda expensive.
@Octane It just seems really ambitious. Guerrilla Games are a great developer and I think they'll try their best to hit next holiday, but I can just see Sony deciding to give them a little extra time to polish it. Much like Uncharted 4 and this year.
@Kidfried Sony sees them as first-party games as it's investing money in both of them. You people are a bit pedantic with words sometimes, I feel. You know exactly what the exec's trying to say.
@Kidfried it's a news item, not an opinion piece and so is reported as such.
If it isn't frame rate or 720 vs 1080, us gamers will always find some trivial matter to quibble over! All that really matters is Fun or Not Fun (although 4k is really the way to go!)
no mention of the Last Guardian... a sign it won't come in 2016?
@DualWielding
He did mention the Last Guardian:
"You've got Street Fighter V, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, No Man's Sky, The Last Guardian,..."
Yes it has a nice looking lineup, now get the games out, please.
@BAMozzy
I'm a huge Street Fighter fan but I'm a bit worried about SF V. Censoring it to some degree to make 'everybody comfortable' and making it 'more accessible' are definitely not things I like to hear. SF has been around a long time and if people are still off put by Cammy wearing what she wears, don't play the f'ing game, that freaking simple but b*tching at the devs about it, then worse having them cave drives me nuts especially since most of these feminazis and white knights won't buy the game anyway. And dumbing the game down to appeal to the casual crowd that never gave an F about Street Fighter also sucks. However, this is the same idiotic company that outright refuses to make a Mega Man game and turned an established horror franchise into an absolutely pathetic Gears of War wannabe (if you're going to rip off another game at least do it well). This is why I respect a company like Rockstar. Say whatever you want about the offensive - to some - nature of their games, they know what their fans like and they deliver without caving to the overly sensitive, politically correct, easily offended society we live in.
It's all about "The Division" whoop whoop 😱😱
@Kidfried Except, from the information we have available, that's not what happened at all. Ono went on record about 18 months before Street Fighter V's announcement explicitly stating that the company couldn't afford to make it and it wouldn't arrive until much later in the generation. Then suddenly it's announced at PlayStation Experience.
I don't know what happened behind the scenes, but I think it's pretty clear Sony played a pivotal part in the game getting made so quickly when Capcom had previously said otherwise. The situation with Tomb Raider is totally different as Square Enix has already announced that a PlayStation version is coming, and was probably in development long before Microsoft opened its cheque book.
@Gamer83 I know I'm only picking at a small piece of the comment there, but I think making the game a tad easier is actually a good thing. There's quite a few people would love to play fighting games if they weren't so hard to get into, and having that accessibility while still having SF fundamentals is a plus to me. This time around I feel it will actually be players fighting each other and not just trying to figure stuff out constantly. While I get that's a source of entertainment from veterans, it's a pain for many who want to get good, but can't break the glass ceiling.
@DerMeister
We'll have to see. All I know is the more I hear the developers talk about SF V and their decision making the less hyped I get. And and I'm a long-time fan and not the only one who feels this way. I get wanting to get more people to play but you shouldn't sacrifice those who have always supported you as well. Look how well that worked out for Splinter Cell. Conviction came out, sold great, was actually a good game but not a good 'Splinter Cell.' When Blacklist came out and was the better game and one that actually walked the fine line between appealing to new and old fans very well, old fans had already felt burned enough by Conviction and the new game didn't sell. It's also worth nothing SF has millions of fans, it's not like nobody supports those games. So say 'F you, you don't matter' to millions is stupid. But Capcom is a stupid company so it doesn't surprise me.
the same with Microsoft, I don't really care about most of Sony's first party games because I'm not in their target demographic. Gravity Rush and Horizon: Zero Dawn are the only 2 I care about. But it's nice that Sony has all of Japan backing it because it guarantees I'll have more than enough games to keep me happy. (^_^ )
@Gamer83 Understandable, but the way I see it, I think it's more trying to get players into the tournament crowd as opposed to leaving them in the dust. The hardcore fans usually have some interest in the competitive side, or at least being skilled at the game. And Capcom always likes to talk up the pros, so I think they're more or less trying to appeal to e-sport guys as well as trying to expand it. Trying to find a balance, if you will. Keyword being "trying". It is Capcom, after all.
@DerMeister
Yup, all we can do is hope it turns out alright.
@Gamer83
I know the trailers haven't looked the best, although the latest at PSX was pretty good.....but I'm kinda more interested in KOF 14. I'll buy SFV on day one, but it feels like we have seen so much of that game already that it's a known quantity, which is a shame.
@get2sammyb please make a confirmed first party 2016 game list for ps4, clear this thing up once and for all, lol.
@Kidfried Just chil:P Go buy Alien nation an exclusive that executive hasn't named but is one of the best games releasing in 2016 ( It's from housemarque)
I'm not really hyped about any game's in that list sorry >.< they all look pretty average apart from maybe Horizon and The Last Guardian and VR intrest's me not one bit.
@get2sammyb +1
Good points Sir Sammy, good points
With the various releases that have come out on the system, and for the people that only have one of the two consoles (PS4 and XONE), then it's been a pretty good year. You've had many games flood the consoles, even if they are indie or various other titles (Brothers, Jack Box Party Pack, Hasbro Family Game Pack, Air Conflicts and more), so only having a few first party titles was fine with me, gave me time to catch up instead of worrying about which one I should choose. I have Bloodborne, Until Dawn, Tearaway Unfolded, Infamous Second Son, Little Big Planet 3, Drive Club and MLB 14 The Show as exclusives right now, and that's fine with the other 20 games I have for the system (not including the downloads), so waiting for Ratchet And Clank, Gravity Rush and Uncharted 4 is fine for right now...gives me time to play.
Plus, the more you have out, the less you end up playing the games you already have, and they end up being lost in the collection to where you come back to play them, and forget what you were doing in them.
@get2sammyb Didn't Rise Of The Tomb Raider not do that well on XONE, and that's the reason why it's coming quicker on the PS4???
5 games does not equal incredible. I'm not convinced it equals adequate. Maybe with your additionally listed games it could be adequate.
@JLPick Wait quicker? When does it release? Heard good things but i'm in no mood nor cash to buy a xbox one (A)
So long as they can see it, it's not a problem. It they didn't I'd palm it off as PR blindness. For the moment, it's 2016 >>> 2015 >> 2014 (they latter years might be clashed).
@rjejr
The pretend exclusive strikes again! Good luck on your PS4 purchase in 20XX...
You might need to pass this wish on within the family.
@Punished_Boss_84 "PS4 purchase in 20XX..."
Funny, had lunch w/ my wife yesterday and we discussed my constantly putting off my PS4 purchase. This Christmas is still a no go as over 80% of our presents are Wii U games and blu-ray movies which my 2 PS3 still play just fine. (I know everybody is into streaming, but some movies I like to own.) I still want to play Uncharted 4 and Ratchet and Clank (whatever they are calling it) but still may wait for FFXV. My wife reminded me she bought me the PS1 our first Christmas together, and FFVII was our first big game, so there is some symmetry. And I bought myself PS2 after FFX came out and the system dropped to $199. Won't wait fo r$199, but $299 w/ $60 FFXV included would be nice. Utlmatley it comes down to timing, as I will buy it for my brithday in July so Christmas can be all about the games.
Oh, and if you think my PS4 procrastination is bad, I've been waiting to buy a 3DS XL for about 3 years. Now I'm waiting to see if NX can play them. PS4 is getting PS2 support, so it could happen. Too bad it won't play all of my PS2 discs though.
@rjejr
If only I had your willpower, I'd already caved and bought one last week.
@Punished_Boss_84 "willpower"
You spelled it wrong, it's poverty.
And getting my real estate tax bill on Monday for $7,621.50. I swear my town doesn't want me to have a Merry Christmas. I always try to get all shopping done before it comes or nobody would get anything under the tree.
@Sanquine I thought I saw an interview somewhere, where they were going to release it before the announced date on the PS4, since it didn't fair so well on the XONE. I think this site also said something about it. I'm not sure where I saw the info at though.
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