Earlier in the year, Sony posted a job listing for a new role within the company focused on “the expansion of our game development from consoles and PCs to mobile and live services”. Now, as part of a corporate strategy meeting, PlayStation bigwig Jim Ryan has shed a little more light on the brand’s decision to step into the realm of smartphone software.
“We have been thinking about how players enjoy our content and have had some early success with experimenting with mobile games and apps to provide more choice to gamers,” the group CEO said. “Mobile is just one of the areas we are exploring to reach millions of gamers beyond our platforms. PlayStation has a huge catalogue of diverse first-party IP that can transition to smartphone gaming and complement our AAA games or live service games. We are exploring the mobile market with some wonderful PlayStation franchises so please stay tuned.”
Sony has released mobile games based on PlayStation apps in the past, such as platformer Run Sackboy Run, puzzle game Uncharted: Fortune Hunter, and weird promotional app PlayStation All-Stars Island. However, this seems like a more concerted effort to actually expand the reach of some of the organisation’s biggest brands.
It’s worth noting that Nintendo has had huge success following a similar strategy. The company’s smartphone-based Mario Kart spin-off had attracted over 200 million downloads as of 21st April, while over $1 billion have been spent on the various apps published by the firm – and that figure doesn’t even include Pokémon Go. Clearly, there are some serious readies to be raked in here.
[source sony.com, via eurogamer.net]
Comments 32
If it's tastefully done, then I'm ok with it. I don't usually play mobile games but sure why not.
Very VERY rarely do I ever play a game on my Phone. Phones just aren't designed for games IMHO.
If I’m going to play games on my phone, it’ll be through Apple Arcade as they’re actual games. Nintendo make so much money through Mario Kart Tour that they’ve pretty much abandoned the main Mario Kart series.
Give me a PlayStation hero collector game like SWGOH, DSA or MSF.
I won't be too bothered by this, but like others have said, if it's done right I have no problems here.
And if it makes Sony a tonne of money to make the other stuff we love, or to fund studios, then that's great.
You forgot the Knack match 3 game. 😂
5 years ago Sony set up a studio to make mobile games called Forwardworks.
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2016/03/sony_announces_studio_dedicated_to_making_mobile_games
Which then announced a bunch of games.
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2016/12/sony_announces_slew_of_first-party_smartphone_games
And another game in 2018, which had ZERO comments.
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/01/sonys_smartphone_division_reveals_no_heroes_allowed_dash
And last year they were still going, teaming up w/ Kadokawa (big in Japan) to announce another game.
https://www.pocketgamer.biz/asia/news/72342/forwardworks-kadokawa-cave-interactive-partnership/
So, they've already been doing it for the past 5 years. The only thing they need to do is expand outside of Japan. 🤷♂️
Sony, please don't.
steam psnow games to mobile
I’m so close to subscribing to Apple Arcade purely for “Everybody’s Golf”.
I don't like phone games but I'm willing to play some if they are good and we use our controller to play them. Need another Vita and if they aren't going to do that, then our phone could do it. Would be nice if we could sign in with our PSN and earn trophies too. Can't see myself buying the games though and free to play games will put me off if the game is heavy on microtransactions. Adding the games to PS Now and putting that onto the phone would pull me into subscribing
They may not be the versions us long-time PlayStation fans want, but I can easily see Sony ressurecting franchises like Ape Escape and more on smartphones for the mobile gamer crowd.
@SoulChimera Clap Hanz Golf is indeed a very good Everybody’s Golf game. There’s a bunch of games on Apple Arcade worthwhile, including many that have since had PS4 ports.
“Don’t you guys have phones?”
I’d like this. It’ll be cool to play some Sony games on my lunch break at work. They’ve done some decent phone games already. Run Sackboy! Run! and Uncharted: Fortune Hunter are pretty good, albeit simple games. They need to update some of their older games. Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus and PlayStation All-Stars Island are unplayable at the moment.
A bit hard considering sony 1st party games usually realistic and have a lot of violence, so it's not suitable for mobile gaming, unlike nintendo ip that can have good monetization technique like fire emblem mobile (characters gatcha) and mario kart mobile (gold pass).
Sony give me a Playstation Hearthstone style game
Can't wait, I love mobile games so this is exciting.
Said no one ever.
This may seem strange to some, but I’d enjoy these mobile games if they have PSN trophies, but likely not otherwise.
I don't play mobile games of any kind, but as long as they don't shift their focus to mobile too much then I'm okay with it.
200 milion downloads = 199.99 milion deletes. DON'T TRY STUPID MISSLEADINGLESS STATISTICS! It is not worth for serious newspaper as I think Pushsquare is.
And what will be next? SONY's AAA titles for calculators? or car displays?
This is the downfall of Sony. The Ratchet and Clank gacha game will generate so much revenue, that it will overtake all other projects.
No more TVs, projectors, audio equipment, cute robots, Playstation, just gachas. Gachas all the time.
Here's an idea. What if Sony took all that money they're wanting to pour into making sub-par mobile games and got the PS Remote Play app to actually work without it dropping the connection ever 5 second and then we could have all the Sony games in the world on our phones? Crazy, right?
@B_Lindz Are you still on PS4? The PS5 remote play is much improved. I love using the Razer Kishi to wirelessly play PS5. I have a 400mbps connection.
@ScottyG You made me chuckle. What a moment that was for Blizzard. Lol.
I am OK with it as long as it does not intrude on any of their console games. There is nothing worse than locking out gameplay and features from £60 console game because I don't have and don't want a capable device, and even if I did they would likely shutdown the app at a later date like most other publishers have in the past .
@ScottyG It is hilarious to think that Blizzard thought that the gamers who paid big money (tickets, travel, accomodation, etc.) for their event were remotely interested in a mobile game, and a game that was just a re-skinned version of an existing title at that. Most publishers have become so greedy, all thanks to the casuals they pull in, who will throw money at anything with little coercion.
@BraniclesUK
This exactly. And Blizzard is among the worst of them.
I don't play on mobile much but not all mobile games are bad. If they can make something like Grindstone, I'm all for it - that was one of my favorite games last year.
Umm... How am I supposed to play a mobile PlayStation game when they aren't releasing new games on Vita anymore?
Hard pass, I will not be giving them my money when it comes to mobile gaming.
Sony is obviously trying to chase Nintendo profit margins. On one hand they trying to stop their tendency of cutting prices down (I foresee that failing and then just going back to big sales to get older PS5 games selling again) and now they want to chase Pokemon Go and Mario Kart Tour.
Truth is, the IPs that work in mobile just don’t tend to align with the super serious IPs that work best for Sony on console. Most successful mobile games tend to be more cartoony and, of course, casual.
I could see games based on Knack, Ratchet or Sackboy, but if they trying to do mobile games based on Horizon, TLOU or Ghost of Tsushima, they will just faceplant.
Sounds like a time to resurrect a supercharged Xperia Play?
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