Bloodborne, Demon's Souls PS5 Producer Leaves Sony Japan Studio

Quick. Let's blow this out of proportion!

Today: "SIE Japan employee leaves, could this be the end of SIE Japan?"

Ah *****, here we go again.

@naruball Indeed. One person chooses to leave a studio, and suddenly the company's entire policy needs to be questioned? Bizarre.

WTH is wrong with this company ?
😠😠
Why they can't give the Japanese talent the opportunity

Yeah, tbh I was kinda worried by the high profile Departures but let's be Frank alot of the titles coming out of Japan Studio were great but not big sellers. From the Puppeteer onwards. And TLG must have costed a fortune and a half with how long it was in Development.

Best of luck to him.

Japan studio needs new blood though, while western sony studio are on fire making 10M+ selling AAA games, japan studio is just sort of there. I mean I really like gravity rush 2, but they need to make system seller games because that's the reason sony made 1st party developers.

Soo, a new mario oddyssey-like ape escape 4 when? 😃

I also accept new ff7 remake-like wild arms.

Quick let’s all buy a Xbox

@wiiware Do they? Didn't someone from Sony say that many 1st party games don't make a profit, but it's ok, because others are much more successful and the success of those ones helps funding smaller titles?

Quick lets all leave comments without reading the full post.

@naruball But when we think about it what use are games that only sells little, I mean 10M+ selling games means maybe 10M+ people buying playstation console for that games. I'm satisfied if sony make new gravity rush or puppeteer but I don't think sony want that.

Also I think sony needs to make japanese games for their japanese gamers, something that's more cheerful unlike their western counterpart, one of the reason sony console didn't sells much in japan maybe because most of it's games are made for western.

Apparently if one or two big names leave a company, that automatically means the Studio is in trouble...

Is Jim Ryan really going too admit to them increasingly focusing their interest on the west? These departures support Bloomberg’s article.

@Gaming365247
I've just got the last pack of bog rolls from supermarket for when the aliens land.
What was the article about again?

The vibe I get from his tweet is he wants to make new IPs not sequels which tbh happens a lot in gaming.

If Sony wants Japan Studios to become a big seller house like Insomniac, Naughty Dog or Santa Monica they must let the devs make big games: Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Monster Hunter "level" games with huge marketing campaigns so the people can gain interest and buy them. They have been just a support studio for a long time: Bloodborne, Demon's Souls, Rougue Galaxy, Folklore, are games where they weren't the main developers, and Astrobot and Gravity Rush games are small titles.

No wonder why the big names are leaving, their talent is being wasted because the big budget is getting to America/Europe. Bloomberg was right and I hate to admit it.

@get2sammyb Which side do you take in this Japan situation then? Has the focus changed or not?

Hate seeing this studio fall apart. They've made lots of great games but I'll always be partial to Gravity Rush. Not sure it would've mattered but it would've been nice to see Sony give it a strong push. People are always screaming for more female protagonists and Kat was one of the best.

Hopefully Team Asobi at least sticks around to keep making Astro Bot games.

@wiiware " I mean 10M+ selling games means maybe 10M+ people buying playstation console for that games"

Does it? I own a ps4 and have bought countless ps4 games. But the reason I bought I a ps4 was for games like Tearaway, Dreams, Gravity Rush 2 that don't sell well and not for Assassin's Creed that does. I could play that anywhere. I just choose to play it on ps4. Those niche games, unlike the blockbusters, have a very loyal following that is willing to purchase a console just for them.

@STLamy No they don't. That article, just like the other one about production of ps5s was complete fabrication that anyone could write seeing how Western PS games are dominating lately.

@naruball but the argument here is that they are losing interest in Japan, instead focusing on the western market. You saying that anyone could come to that conclusion doesn’t disprove it.

@Shepherd_Tallon that’s a perfectly reasonable conclusion, yet the outcome is still the same, is it not? A smaller budget for the Japanese territory in general.

@naruball Sony japan studio strategy of making small games didn't work out in the end, while I have those games you mentioned (bought it day one) clearly sony want more gamers to buy it.

Hey if it's up to me, we will already have gravity rush 3, ape escape 4, puppeteer 1 remake and 2, wild arms 1 & 2 remake and new wild arms lol.

@STLamy it does. They claimed that they had inside information, just like tabloids claim that "a source close to the family revealed that..."

I could claim that I have inside information that MS will buy another studio. Even if they do acquire another studio, it won't give credit to my story.

@wiiware I really think we can have both, especially considering how successful first party games have been lately. They can easily offset the cost of smaller games like Gravity Rush. Though I don't see a 3rd one happening any time soon, it wouldn't surprise me if they made yet another new IP that sells decently. Every game they add to their library helps set them apart from MS and Nintendo. Even if someone is not interested in a specific game, they can appreciate the diversity.

@naruball and your allowed to make that statement, whether it’s ridiculous or not. But the fuel of these departures isn’t backing yours is it? That’s all I was saying. You can say these departures mean something, or you can say they don’t. Let’s see if we get anything substantial from Japan studio anytime soon or not.

@wiiware I wouldn't say Japan Studio make small games, Gravity Rush 2 was a pretty long game and has lots of content. I think the main issue is Sony's lack of marketing for those types of games. I remember E3 2016, COD IW had a 10 minute segment for Sony's conference whereas GR2 (Sony's own first party game) had a 2 minute trailer relegated to the pre show. Even pundits/youtubers that focused on Playstation never seemed to acknowledge the game's existence.

I get that Sony don't want to invest millions in a marketing campaign for games that aren't likely to sell well, but they really should utilise things like the PS Blog and conferences more, things were they've already invested money, so don't risk much by using those spaces to advertise other games.

But yeah I really wish Ape Escape and Puppeteer would get new games.

So when a lot of the jrpg's actually lets just say japanese games never saw the light of day in the west sony were accused of not really giving two squirts about us...now the shoes on the other foot and its "sony has lost interest in japan"..this whole culture is tiresome at best...happy xmas everybody..

Does anyone know the best Twitter handle or other comm to beg for a PS5 Bloodborne patch please?

@naruball Forget making games like gravity rush 2, sony even didn't want to pay for it's server, sometimes sony is so cheap lol.

@ThroughTheIris56 Yeah gravity rush 2 is AAA games, not big like uncharted 4 but not small like concrete genie either. I'm still a bit angry sony didn't put gravity rush 2 trailer in their 2016 e3 main shows lol, it's only about 1 minute trailer.

Maybe if sony didn't want their studio to make japanese games, they should make it together with other studio (2nd party games) like with fromsoftware (bloodborne), or like nintendo with platinum games (bayonetta 2 & 3 and astral chain).

Too hard, didn't like reloading 😂

???
They didn't really make Bloodborne and Demon's Souls - they offered support to those studios. They actually made Knack and Knack 2!

@wiiware that's what worries me. These Japan studio and similar games are what PlayStation is to me. Games like gravity rush are the only reason i still buy PlayStation at all. Naughty dog and Santa Monica could fall off a cliff for all I care. I enjoy their games, but they're not the reason Ive loved the platform all these years.

@get2sammyb " People are allowed to change their place of work, especially if they've stayed at one place a long time."

I'n Japan, not so much....

The studio that made knack, and knack 2, has experienced a crushing loss, at this point sony should liquidate their game division and just continue to make flop movies with Kevin James about owning zoo's or policing malls.

@NEStalgia I still like their western games, god of war, uncharted 4, horizon zd and of course ghost is one of my favorite ps4 games, but I like their japanese exclusive games too like persona 5/golden, dragon crown, and aegis rim.

In the end playstation is still the best place to get both japanese and western big AAA games, you can't get the like of monhun world, dmc5, and other japanese AAA games on nintendo switch, and you can't get the japanese exclusive games that I just mentioned on xbox console.

So getting playstation 5 and switch is perfect if you like japanese games I think 😃

@STLamy I never said it is?

@wiiware they really can be cheap. It didn't cost them much, but they saw close to zero interest and they shut them down. It wasn't the first case and won't be the last, unfortunately. They think it doesn't affect many people, so who cares? But, in reality, even those who have no interest in the game see it as a bad move.

@NEStalgia...... Everyone is of course entitled to their opinions...... But I find it hard to believe that you bought a console to exclusively play Gravity Rush. These are games are not system sellers and they are not on Nintendos quality level, they are library diversifying games, just to make the PS library have variety and diversity and Sony knows this.

The argument that these games don't sell because of no marketing is also not try, the games don't sell because they have an indies experimental nature and they are not inteded to be sellers because they are not, if they were good they would be selling numbers closer to Nintendo games even the Japan market does not buy them, it's the same reason Sony does not lose sleep over them whether they sell or not.

They are not even at the level of Ori, if they were at least at the level of Ori they would get more attention and sell more.

Mine Craft, PuBG, Fortnite., Apex Legends all didn't have marketing and word of mouth and word of mouth made them viral get played by millions, if these games were any good, word of mouth alone would sell them by the truck loads.

And don't pretend the reason anyone would buy a PlayStation beside the fact that Sony are an awesome platform holder and innovate, but the reason to own a Playstation is Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, Bend, Sucker Punch, Insomniac

@naruball....... I think you care about these niche games, but a large number of gamers see them exactly as Sony does, good if they are there but nothing to worry about if they are not there, the quality of is not high but okay. We want them to be at least at the Level of Ori.

If there is one game that I envy Microsoft for out of their entire Library is the Ori. I don't like Ms and would never buy an Xbox but if there is games that can make me buy an Xbox is the Ori series of games, that's the only good about having an Xbox.

Nintendo I would only buy for Pokeman but the quality of the Pokeman games has not reached or surpasses the N64 Pokeman game or the Gameboy Pokeman games.

So the Sony Japan games need to get to Ori level of quality or N64/Gameboy POKEMAN level of QUALITY.

@GREGORIAN " I don't like Ms and would never buy an Xbox but if there is games that can make me buy an Xbox is the Ori series of games, that's the only good about having an Xbox."

"Nintendo I would only buy for Pokeman"

Spoken like a true fanboy. 👏👏👏😒👎

People need to understand that while it may suck that veteran developers may leave, it paves the way for new developers with newer fresher idea's. Let's look to Dragon Quest 11 & God of War (2018), both were not made by the man behind the series creations, and while yes BOTH people behind these games have worked on the series at some point prior to the newest entry, it was NOT to the extent that they have with the newest entry, and both did an excellent job breathing new life into the series, while maintaining the core of the series.
My point is; that just because veteran developers may leave a company, this paves the way for new people, with new idea's to step forward, they need to be given a chance, hell they might surprise you, after all; Hideo Kojima wasn't immediately the great game designer that he is now, he had to work his way up just like everyone else.

@GREGORIAN Never played Ori, but I've only heard great things about it.

I'd argue that Tearway is one of the best games that Sony has released. The quality was definitely there and so was the budget. The problem was that most people weren't interested in it.

I think you're missing the point. Just like for you Ori (a non AAA game) is a system seller, so is Tearaway, Gravity Rush, etc for others.

@GREGORIAN That's kind of the what I mean though. Games like gravity rush, medievil, tearaway, as @naruball mentioned, to me these are the experiences that define PlayStation. At least traditional PlayStation going back to ps1, ps2, psp. That's what I buy in for and what's kept me coming back. Gow, hzd, etc, the're fine games, well made, yes. I buy them, i enjoy them, certainly. But they're not what makes PS special... They're not that different from what Ubisoft, 2k, etc are making. More polished, more expensive, but nothing that truly could only come from Sony the way gravity rush, tearaway etc do, the way Mario and Kirby do for Nintendo. When I think of iconic, unforgettable "magic of PlayStation" games, i come back to shadow of the colossus, gravity rush, sackboy and ratchet, yes they're still making those, heavenly sword (ms now owns ninja theory, though Sony should have the ip), folklore etc. Etc. The ps1 era has more.

I still think jak 1 was a fantastic better rare than rare collect a thon and 2 and 3 were overrated.

Ultimately it's clear Sony's moving away from the kinds of games i buy PlayStations for, and moving more towards Hollywood influenced gaming. I'm certainly able to enjoy such games, but they aren't the games that make me excited to buy a platform. I like gow and hzd, sure. But I'm only tepidly warm for the coming sequels and could live without them. I'm more excited for Kena and Stray as far as exclusives go. They feel more PlayStation to me than any of the over budget Hollywood showcases.

I get that the Hollywood games resonate with the masses, and Sony's playing purely to investor numbers at this point... But that's kind of a focus shift on a different market than before, and that market is one I only somewhat identify with.

@wiiware For me, I'm fortunate enough to be in all 3 ecosystems. But I often consider what way I'll go when inevitably that becomes impractical. It's a tough call. A lot of what Sony's first party output is becoming just doesn't speak to me. There's a few that do. Ghost, sack boy, ratchet. Uncharted is a guilty pleasure even though i recognize it's more a movie than a game. But their first party seems less and less aimed at a market that I'm part of. If i had to drop a platform next time it's a hard call. I tend to prefer the xb ecosystem for my western multiplats heavily, and have a huge library they're committed to maintaining for the long haul. It wouldn't be easy to abandon that. And I'm Nintendo to the core so i can't bail there.... That means Sony is the one I'd likely be most able to do without. Atlus is probably the one thing that would keep me bound. Bound to PS by Sega, not Sony. That's irony! . Of we go back some years, "Sony games" would have me as spellbound as "Nintendo games". They've definitely been heading in a different direction.

That is unsettling news.
I do feel that direction at PlayStation is not fostering nor working the brand presence at the japanese gaming market (consumers and also developers) the way it would suppose to do.
It is sad because Japan is filled with iconic franchises both in the gaming and in the entertainment business.
It wouldn't surprise me one bit if Microsoft start closing some big moves at that region. They have precedent, money and the appetite.. people will not get to say "oh boy, we didn't see that coming!" like when they acquired ZeniMax Media.

Sony's best studio losing more talent.

@NEStalgia It is very interesting to think about what the term "Sony games" brings to mind and how it changed from first steps of the company in the gaming industry until now. I would absolutely love to watch a video from the YouTube channel 'Ahoy' exploring this theme.
Clearly the games have become more and more "occidental" and less and less "oriental" over the time.

@vict0RGM Indeed! Though not all of the change is at simple at East to West. Some of the most "traditional Sony" games were made by western studios. Seeing the Japanese elements contracting is disappointing, but I think it's also a management focus shift. PlayStation used to be chasing nintendo and focused on that type of market. I think they're now playing purely business by the numbers, and sort of having a "Wii" moment where they've identified what the mass market of non gamers will buy into and realized that market, like the mobile market, is much larger than the dedicated gamers. By the numbers they can make a lot more money modeling their games business after their film, TV, and music businesses aimed at the most mass appeal possible than being a brand for gamers.

Heck indirectly in interviews such as the 825gb space Jim tells us often that basically, by their numbers, the use of most of us here more or less doesn't represent their market and doesn't matter to their numbers.

But it's sad seeing such a shift. There's still enough to appeal to me as an exclusives box for now. But i wonder if that will last?

@NEStalgia I think the difference between playstation and xbox are just the exclusive games, both get western games, but playstation will always get more japanese games because japanese games sells most on playstation. And there's no way I'm gonna miss new god of war, new horizon, new spider-man, and others big exclusive playstation 1st party games.

Also playstation 5 is more powerful than xbox so by default it become the best console for 3rd party games this gen

@wiiware Sometimes a bunch of little things can add up to big things. Originally I was all in on Nintendo and Sega. Couldn't understand why anyone would buy a console from a VCR company. When Sega went down, I was mostly PC only at that point anyway. Finally came back to console with PS (i had a big ps1 library I'd played in emulators from the real discs prior.. Back then ps1 games weren't encrypted so you could actually run them on pc.). And loved all the kinds of games Sony had i couldn't get on PC (came back to Nintendo for the Nintendo games slightly with wii and heavily with 3ds, later as well.)

Enter ps3, though, and much as i didn't want an xbox at all, realized everything third party ran like garbage on ps3. Ended up buying a 360, but ended up really liking it.

Then enter Matrick. I watched all the buildup to the new platforms in.2013 and went into e3 with it being 50/50 which way I'd go. By the end of the night I had 2 ps4s on preorder and no x1s. I'd written xb off as dead.

But a few years back I bought an x1x to be my all digital console to celebrate finally getting good internet. And after living with it and using it for a few weeks, then months I ended up liking it more than ps4 (pro). Sure i love many ps4 games, and psvr (rip?) But i ended up rebuying most of my library and moving it there. It's not one big feature. It's the collection of little details that make living in the environment nicer. Particularly with digital. The kind of stuff that doesn't work on a sell sheet, but after you live with both side by side you find yourself gravitating toward one or the other.

It's not about their exclusives. This gen they look to have some winners but last gen not so much. But it was just the environment that makes me prefer keeping my games there where I can.

After the ps5 didn't step up Sony's BC game as much as I assumed they would I'm grateful I chose that direction.

That said, it's of course the best of both worlds to have the ps5 for those Japanese and exclusive games. I'm set for the next 7 years so it's more a theoretical debate about if i can't afford to justify everything next time around. Both machines are going to get a ton of use!

Fwiw, gow and hzd for me aren't system sellers. Nice to have, but not system sellers. And while I like Uncharted, I'm not a naughty dog fan (didn't really like them even before they were Sony. And i really dislike Soulsborne (despite that being from the Japanese studios.) Ratchet and clank and sackboy are system sellers to me, though.... I had more fun with ratchet ps4 than almost any other game this gen. I rarely 100% games but that one I did. So far I'm loving sackboy. "AAA" platformers are rare beasts.

"More powerful" isn't so simple though. In terms of the raw hardware, xsx is more powerful. How it ends up used by third parties is the real factor. So far the glorified ps4/x1 ports favor ps5 but I think different games will favor different hardware. Cyberpunk already favors xb, and i expect that to continue with the real next gen patch. Bethesda certainly would even if ms hadn't bought them. Ubisoft depends where Anvil goes. So far it favors ps5 but that's still the last gen version....i think we'll see some variance with different games favoring different platforms but generally close performance overall.

@EVIL-C Same here never would buy a Xbox a Switch 2 maybe when they release Metriod 4.