Jim Ryan Says Players Only Remember the Best Games

Jim Ryan spoke about his opinion/goals for the business and the two are going to get muddled because it's Jim "Foot in Mouth" Ryan?

Where's my popcorn, this is gonna be good.

Also, we won't tell Miyamoto you stole his homework Jim. We promise.

"better to wait and have a great game than to rush and have a game that is okay or quite good".

Jim Ryan is playing Ratchet and Clank? The man plays games after all!

Well obviously a game that sells millions of copies is going to be remembered more because the amount of people playing but I'd argue smaller games have more dedicated fan base for example I love Socom series and thoses fans to this day are begging them to remake 1 and 2 and still talked about years and years on and thoses games did not sell millions of copies.

I really hope these are translation errors because he comes across as such a pompous ass here. He is aware that the only reason Uncharted exists today is that they took a chance on a sequel after the first one failed to light the world on fire, right? You're not always going to hit home runs on the first time at-bat. For example, I really don't like the original Titanfall, but the sequel is one of my top ten games of all time. To just discard a series' potential because it didn't strike gold on its first swing is ridiculous.

I may be overexaggerating, but this really rubbed me the wrong way as a lifelong PlayStation fan. It's so smug and short-sighted.

This makes sense but "best" game is going to differ from person to person. Alien Isolation is a best for me but apparently only like 5 other people liked it so no sequel. I'm sure the same could be said for someone who loved Days Gone, though I did not.

And I know the former isn't first party, so not the best example, but the point is it can be hard to pin down which games are the "best" games.

'The translations of his answers are a little rough, '
Never mind. Let's have a Jim Ryan lynch for nothing again.

@Mauzuri Well said!

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever forget Attacking Zegeta...

@JJ2 You Know How This Goes This Man Can Sneeze And People Want To Burn Him At The Stake For It People May Not Like What He Said But He Is Not Wrong.

Generally I agree with the statement but there is certainly a lot of room for subjectivity here. I personally consider the Crash Bandicoot games and Final Fantasy games to be merely okay.

Ok so what do we remember from MS games since the last 5 years?

@Mauzuri not a weird comparison, just completely stupid.

Yes, that's why we talk of hidden and underrated gems... Someone tell this clueless guy to just stop talking nonsense.

Quoting a back translation of an interview given to a specific market seems like a great way to sow misunderstanding. That being said, surely no one would argue that the PS motto should be “we want our games to be second or third best in the industry.” I’m pretty sure that motto’s already taken, anyway.

I do wish they’d let loose with a bit more weird Sony sometimes though. A bit more Vib Ribbon and the like.

For me the most memorable games of those that do something that I haven’t seen before. I wouldn’t necessarily say those are better the perfect implementation of a existing formula.

This site loves to quote this guy out of context just to rile up the nerds. He was explaining that its better to take as much time as possible on a game so it's perfect rather than rush it and have it not as good. And the quote about people only remembering the best games is true. If you think of the best games you've ever played and think fondly of the vast majority are going to be games widely considered to be great.

@RBMango uncharted 1 not only sold and reviewed well, it was also a technical showcase.

@Areus
The crowd react.
Title could have been:
'It is better to wait and have a great game than to rush and have a game that is okay”

Which I think is more The idea he was going for.

He has come out with some clangers but I think he has been translated incorrectly on this one. Simply talking about memorable games being the best not only the best being memorable.

FALSE. We also remember the WORST games and disasters. Cyberpunk, Duke Nukem Forever, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, etc etc

@JJ2 its like there is a gang with pitchforks camped online whos sole purpose is to wait for him to open his mouth.

Seems like a translation error to me. Bit of a silly statement though, Simpsons Hit and Run isn’t the best but it’s memorable.

@JJ2 Which Is funny Considering Shigeru Miyamoto Once Said Something Just Like That And People Stood Up and Started Clapping.

Jim Ryan needs to be taken out of the public spot light and let Herman Hulst do the PR.
This guy is a walking disaster in terms of anything PR related.

@Amppari But it wasn't a GOTY home run smashing success. It was a start.

@blinx01 just wait until social media gets there hands on this article. Crazy fanboy wars starting in 3 2 1...

I will always remember Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, which has a metascore of only 54, so yeah....

@blinx01 yeah playstation boss saying they want to make the best games is horrible PR

Yeah, um, I really don't think we need the man who was just about to close down three PS storefronts simultaneously with barely any advance notice telling us what he thinks games are worth.

Sure, I remember the best games I’ve played like Mario Odyssey and Spider-Man but bad games are just as memorable! Jim Ryan comes across as such an ass here

Just had to re-read the article to make sure I'm not misinterpreting anything. Still, I feel like anything Jim says nowadays could be taken against the PS brand. Wait till this article explodes on Social Media

I definitely get the feeling there was some miss translation going on here. I doubt Jim Ryan saw Sackboy A Big Adventure as one of the "best" (no disrespect to Sackboy its a good game).

I think he was more likely trying to point out how great their 1st party software is just on a whole, which all three of the platform holders do because they are selling a product.

I could be wrong though, in which case then yeah this wasn't a great quote.

I disagree i like a lot of ok games.not every games have to be a masterpiece.word up son

I rather Sony have the best games possible then barely have no games or mostly bad games like Microsoft.

@Mauzuri I respectfully disagree. You may not enjoy it. But there are objective standards for great games! So many people don't play souls games, that's fine. But they are amazing genre-defining games. I don't play Nintendo games, I find them very childish. But I always appreciate the top-quality production and breathtaking moments in those games. Some games are objectively great really, even if some of us don't enjoy it, including you and me.

@Mauzuri by the way, I didn't enjoy Last of Us 2. But I think it deserved to be the best game of the year.

@RBMango it says in the title this is a translation. They are just aiming for high quality releases and want quality to be associated with the PS studios brand. Nothing about critic reception or any of that. Ratchet and Clank is not even one of Sony's highest rated games.

I remember plenty of games that were just “okay”, for one reason or another. I get what he’s saying, but it’s a silly statement.

“People like great games! Water is wet!”

Yup, agree 100%. That's why with only the logo of god of war (with ice effect) gamers already hyped

Can't wait for horizon 2, gow 2, gt7, and others future sony 1st party games.

@Jaxx420
'its like there is Tabloids with pitchforks camped online whos sole purpose is to wait for him to open his mouth.'

@mrtennis1990 I believe the only time he has ever played a game is if he has been forced too due to a business obligation.

That's not entirely true, people remember Shadow The Hedgehog and that game is certainly not the best.

Mistranslation or not, he is simply establishing brand here. He wants to assure the average consumer that if ‘PlayStation Studios” is on the box, regardless of genre, style or irregularity, you are purchasing a product of unparalleled quality. A product that wholly stands for what PlayStation stands for. A product that you can buy day one without hesitation.

Then why does everyone remember Knack???

@Mauzuri given he is talking about pushing ship times and the like, I think he means “player remember games with expensive dev cycles.” Basically to me it sounds like he is saying “only triple-a games matter”.

@JapaneseSonic Oh my gosh, thank you SO much for clearing that up for me! Now I’ll be able to sleep tonight 🙄

@Mauzuri It's not about enjoying, It's about acknowledging it's a great game. You can acknowledge something that's great without enjoying it.

@art_of_the_kill Yeah, the people deriding this story/comments as frivolous Kremlinology could use a reminder that this particular Kremlin really does have nukes, and they remain particularly eager to fire them.

Where does this leave bad games?

Just finished Days Gone few days ago, also got the Platinum and I can say I really enjoyed the game. After that secret ending I really really would like to see a sequel. I don’t know how the game was at launch but playing it on PS5 was just perfect.

They really should probably not let him do interviews any more smh.

I don’t think anyone will be forgetting CP2077 any time soon, which kinda throws his theory out the window 🤣

What’s good to one player might be average to another.

GTA V is probably the best selling game of all time (and highly regarded by many) but for me it’s just not that great or memorable.

Some of my favourites games would be considered average by others.

I think this is a mistranslation though. Sounds more like he is talking about giving games the time they need to be the best they can.

Won't stop the Internet pouncing on him again though sadly

Very big oversimplification.

People usually remember games that are different. A game can technically be very solid, but if it plays it too safe it won't be memorable. On the other hand, a game that is ballsy is likely to be remembered even if it has shortcomings. The best way to be remembered collectively talked about, that can also happen with bad and disappointing games, like Ride to Hell, AC Unity and TLOU2.

Similar thing with sequels, just because a game is good it doesn't need a sequel. The original Last of Us is a perfect example of this. Then you get games that aren't perfect like The Evil Within that benefit from a sequel, as the sequel is an opportunity to make improvements.

I think he's talking score wise, he wants playstation games to be high scoring and game of the year contenders, not average scoring, mediocre and bug riddled

@Rob_230 we live in the age of misinformation and mob mentality.

Chaos is a ladder...

Does "Best" mean "Sells Millions"? Because I'm certain that Jim doesn't give a **** about games that haven't sold millions. Gravity Rush and its sequel are two of the best games I've ever played and many would agree. Didn't sell millions though so actually they must be ****.

The guy is not a gamer. He's an awful, red-faced, drunken looking dude from the North East who is genuinely causing a lot of dislike towards PlayStation through his patronising air of supremacy and the way that he insists that Sony are the white knight of gaming.

I genuinely don't think he's ever picked up a PlayStation controller unless it was part of some PR photoshoot. He needs to move on and stop pretending that he is anything other than an awful representative. PlayStation deserves better than Jim. Herman should be the "face".

I still miss Ken. 😟

@Amppari
"No one really cares about a game that is only okay" - Jim Ryan

As a platform holder, what sort of message does that send to 3rd party devs, especially indies? Not a good look.
He needs taking out of the firing line big time.

@4kgk2 Grow up and learn to spell.

@__jamiie I hurt your feelings with the true poor Xbot.

@JapaneseSonic Prejudice? He is from the North East. Being from the North East isn't a slur. In the same way that I would call him a Londoner if he was from London. I was simply listing facts about Jim. He is red faced, drunken looking and from the North East. I made far more meaningful points in the rest of my post but you chose to pick that out.

Have a look at yourself back mate.

@blinx01 Wow, so your argument is that devs should keep making mediocre games and not try to do better?? Holy *****...

Did you really translate it or did you guys just used a butchered translation before i get mad.

He says it's "better to wait and have a great game than to rush and have a game that is okay or quite good".

Thats what i want to be honest with my Firstparty titles. Sorry i cant disagree on that point.

Ryan continues: "Players only remember best games rather than okay games. If it is a best game, players may want a sequel, and they will also want to buy a sequel, but no one really cares about a game that is only okay." He concludes that Sony won't settle for less: "We want the best."

This one is somewhat true how many times do i hear i dont play a game has a lower rating then 8.
A lot of people get mad about this is the world we live in now. As a guy who plays a lot of mediocre games i dont agree but i see his point.

And is this something to mad about he just needs to learn to balance his words and make them less in the face. He could has said the same thing in a different way and we would probably agree.

How about playstation we want to give our customers the best experience we rather take out time then rush a game. A mediocre game will be forgotten but classic will stay with the players. And it will let them come back for more.

@__jamiie playstation is the most successful it has ever been under jim ryan hahaha

@__jamiie Dude thats kinda nasty i guess your from England. You are just like us Dutch people rude. Here its because we are way to direct a lot of the times. Its not a slur its a thing a know because i born and always lived here. And i stand by my point you are just as rude or even worse then Jim.

@mrtennis1990 He really doesn't.

@Flaming_Kaiser If you can't write English properly then don't bother. Also, stop making racial slurs against the Dutch. Thanks.

@JapaneseSonic You are the only person who thinks being from the North East is a slur. And don't swear at me. Thanks.

@Amppari So you think Jim is a great representative for PlayStation???

Really???

Nah, I tend to remember weird diamonds in the rough more than most other kinds of games, and i'm worried Sony might be turning their back on those.

Eh, one man’s treasure is another man’s poopoocaca.

Who took a piss in @__jamiie 's cornflakes this morning?

How is it that every time this man speaks about his plans for PlayStation I get shivers up my spine?

That was a pretty interesting interview and his remarks run counter to many of the narratives propagated on social media and websites such as this one. Worth a read!

@Haruki_NLI oh noes. How dare he say something Miyamoto had already said! The nerve.

@Amppari How much did Uncharted 1 sell before Uncharted 2? A source would be greatly appreciated

It sickens me that Days Gone won’t get a sequel.

Valve just announced Steam Deck. Now we will be able to play Sony games (pc versions) in handheld. I loved Vita, so somehow I feel that Sony dropped the ball again here somewhere by not having a Vita 2 and by bringing Sony games to PC.

I don't care what he says, I do care what he does. It's a fair statement, I tend to remember the games I feel are great from Resogun and Stardew Valley to God of War and The Last of Us 2.

While gamer's cant agree on what are the best games on PlayStation. I think we can agree PlayStation has the greatest games we all love.

@zupertramp It's tragic we won't see another Alien game by Creative Assembly but the bar has certainly been raised for other developers to do something special with the Alien universe. (Ignoring Alien Firestorm or whatever it's called).

@Reeneman I mean, Gears 5, Ori, and Forza Horizon 4 were all fantastic. Not as good as God of War or Ghost of Tsushima for me, but I did like them better than LoU2 and Horizon ZD. There’s a lot of great games out there.

I love “ok” games, and a lot of the “great” games just appeal to the lowest common denominator. Seriously though, every time this guy opens his mouth I’m less excited about the future of Playstation.

Then why do I remember Dragon's Lair on the C64, which may be the worst video game I ever played...Seriously though, I do worry that this is bit too 'safe' an approach to that can lead to overly homogeneous design, despite selling well (if we interpret the statement to mean this). Its often when a game does something original or different that I really remember it years later, and I started with the Atati 2600.

I remember playing some awful games.

"No one really cares about a game that is only okay."
Yet everybody seems to remember FF7, for example.

"Best" has always been subjective. Personally most of these "best games" that get high scores, I find boring or just plain don't like. People will remember games that left an impression on them because of personal tastes, not because somebody else praised/over-hyped it.

I for one have enjoyed many games that so-called reviewers panned, or have not sold well overall. Because of an accident I have had recently (fractured my hip), I have had nothing but time on my hands. So in the end I have found myself playing many of my retro games... NES, SNES, Genesis, PS1, N64, etc... Revisiting them again has left much more of an impression than majority of the games made today.

Jim Ryan reminds me of many kids today, where only new is better, screw anything that he does not like himself.

False. I remember the ones that suck too, like ride to hell and the order 1886.

C’mon, Mr. Ryan is speaking colloquially and generally, not directly to any specific person, taste or point of view. The general sentiment that PlayStation only wants to invest in making the highest quality, best experiences possible because anything less will potentially be lost to time is not an absurd PR position to hold.

WHY is he still TALKING ?

#FireRyan!

Ryan is engaging in a terribly reductive, incredibly naive (from a development standpoint) logical fallacy here, ad populum. He is essentially saying that popularity validates quality, and although there is sometimes a correlation between the two, it is not my experience that the two always go hand-in-hand, or that the former directly proves the latter. The easy response here is to come at it from the opposite end of the question, and ask whether (or rather how many) great games have not risen to mass popularity, and why. Then perhaps we could begin to examine what creates not just popularity, but how designers and developers can create more of those moments of physical gameplay that release endorphins, and narratives that resonate with meaning. Legendary games.

Ryan may be full of himself and various other stuffings, but the question about the relationship between the two is worth asking, I think.

People can feel how they want about Jim Ryan, it is their opinion. I don’t necessarily disagree with some of what he says, but I find him hard to relate to. Phil Spencer is much more relatable to me as an actual gamer. Both may be very arrogant in real life, but Spencer does not exude it in interviews like Ryan does. Again, only my opinion.

@beebs720 Totally get where you’re coming from. Ryan is kinda hard to relate to, especially compared to Shu Yoshida or Mark Cerny. Didn’t like Phil Spencer at first but after a while it clicked and I really like him as an ambassador/leader/personality for Xbox now. Seems pretty genuine.

Generally boring things are forgetted soon, and amazing things live in memory. But it depends on our taste. I still have doubt judging the quality based on metacritic review score. I found many high-score games really boring, but there were two games that l enjoyed from start to finish without checking the scores: Shadowman and Pid. The latter was a downloadable for ps3 and l enjoyed it so much, and really surprised by the reviewer notes in metacritic. All l'm trying to say is that GAMERS define what is amazing or ok, not journalists or businessmen.

everyone has different tastes i thought ghost of tushima and was ok but detroit become human was amazing

I'd rather say it is his wish. But my wishes also not comming true... Nether Earth, Mission Force: Cyberstorm, Painkiller, Eye of the Judgement, Enslaved, Enchanted Arms, Dante's Inferno.... and many many more most memorable games are standalone.

When asked about successful new IP Jim says 'Days Gone performed well in the market. '

Don't make up sht guys.

The full interview is actually interesting. No need to take things out of context because you don't like someone.

Edit
Push should take educational responsibility instead of inciting toxicity.

I think you will find that players also remember the worst games.

@Mauzuri
There is nothing 'arrogant' about it.
It's a figure of speech, obviously, taken out of context.
Nevertheless, of course it's always subjective but it's true that people most remember the games they liked and the games they didn't like.

They also easily forget the games that were just 'okay' from their point of view.

Industry leaders have room for BotWs and Part Time UFOs alike under their roofs. And if "homeruns" are to be defined by short term memories who deem a classic like Gravity Rush inferior to GoW2018 or HZD, this isn't a baseball game I'm compelled to spectate. But that's more on the coverage of the interview here; Ryan's own words mostly raise a bit of an eyebrow in how he puts PlayStation in "direct competition" with the very forms of entertainment media that other Sony branches cultivate themselves.😅

I’ve recently been trying to retroactively fill in my HowLongToBeat profile with games i’ve completed over the years; and obviously it’s hard to remember them all (unless they have achievement/trophy timestamps ) but getting to the PS2; a lot of what I remember is the Dynasty Warriors (2-5) series. Not exactly the best games but they were great to me. Also things like LOTR Two Towers and Return of the King. So yea not exactly critical darlings but some of the most fun I had on the system and therefore what I remember first off the top of my head (and yea okay Vice City too…).

Mass Effect Andromeda says hi.

You can look at something as recent as Cyberpunk to see this statement is completely untrue.

Who quoted this, Jim Miyamoto?

@sonicmeerkat I really enjoyed the order!

Hah. Leaders of big companies should really be more careful and stop assuming they speak for everyone with their big, sweeping, inaccurate generalisations.

The most recent game I played that I remember as "just okay" (because it seemed like you'd always be fighting a tedious war of attrition against dozens of ticking clocks) was No Man's Sky. It was alright. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. I can see why some would like the gameplay loop but after 3 hours with it, I knew it wasn't for me.

All he needs to do to stop annoying people in this way is carefully qualify his statements. Rather than saying "Gamers", phrase it more like "Based on our research, some demographics of gamer..." therefore leaving room for reasonable doubt and that there are plenty of people who aren't included in the statement, rather than arrogantly assuming he speaks for all gamers.

Also, looking at reviews here and elsewhere from the people that have played it, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is "just okay" in a lot of gamer's eyes. It's been criticised for having shallow gameplay mechanics if I recall correctly, pretty though it is. So that's proof that long development cycles don't guarantee amazing games in everyone's eyes, I guess.

@Mauzuri Not a weird comparison IMO - a good one. I don't get the love for The Last Of Us either - the first one was amazing storytelling coupled with linear level designs and very simple gameplay mechanics, kinda like a dumbed-down Metal Gear Solid. That's Naughty Dog for you eh?

Please, tell Jim Ryan that “Players only remember best CEOs rather than okay ones. If it is a best CEO (like Iwata), players may want Him to continue, and they will also love him, but no one really cares about a CEO that is only okay”

The man is a toxic fool that Sony would do much better without.

Games like Gravity Rush or the massive selling titles like Everybody's Golf returning? No chance on a Sony platform - might be team green or Apple Arcade - all thanks to Jim Ryan and his dumb minions.

@RogerRoger Hi there friend.
Sorry for the off topic, but as a fellow Sonic fan did you saw the 30th Sonic anniversary Symphony concert on youtube?
I had tears in my eyes for most of it.
All those wonderfull memories and nostalgia playing Sonic games in my teens were to much for a 36 adult grown man to handle.
As a Sega and Sonic fan it was awesome.
Cheers, stay safe good people and happy gaming to us all

Whilst I don't disagree too much with Jim Ryan - although I do think we remember some of the games also by 'reputation' as well. We still remember Superman 64 (either by rep or experience) because it was so bad too. Thus not just remembering the 'best' games.

However, people are 'different' so there will be games that may not be 'critically' acclaimed, but are still going to be 'remembered' well and positively. A good example of a Sony game that wasn't as 'critically' well received but still have a group of fans that would argue it was one off the 'best' games they played - Day's Gone. But Sony were reluctant to let Bend make a sequel.

Point is, not 'everyone' enjoys the same things and one persons favourite could be another person's worst. I didn't really get on with Last of Us - mostly because I disliked the character I was playing - but its another person's favourite. I'd rather see another Day's Gone, Infamous, Killzone, Resistance etc...

Sony were also known for offering a diverse range of games, across the full spectrum of studio's from small to large. The PS1 had so many games releasing weekly for it of which maybe 1 or 2 a month were regarded as 'great, memorable' games but I bet most of us would have a very different 'top 10' most memorable games of that gen and I bet not 'every' game was a 9-10 critically rated game...

@RogerRoger "It wasn't just ten minutes of the Sonic Mania soundtrack" That´s what I was afraid they would do.
So it was great to listen to some really good bangers from different Sonic games, like Collors, Shadow, Adventure 1 and 2 had to be there of course and even The Black knight was there.
People may think otherwise , but Crush 40 rocks so much.
Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom.
Tomoya Ohtani Band and Nathan Sharp did an awesome Endless Possibility version. It was an absolute Blast from the Past. Sonic Fan Forever 👍
Cheers, stay safe and all the best

@zekepliskin You are right the story the characters where out of this world the best i have seen in a game so far. The gameplay wasnt the biggest star but it was not terrible in any way. Its the first game where the character that accompanied was never in my way and even a help. Ellie with Joe are still my favorite characters of all time.

@beebs720 If he would choose his words a little better nobody could say anything about it.

@SilentS Final Fantasy 7 had a fantastic story so thats why people remember.

@Flaming_Kaiser If I was to sum it up more succinctly, I'd say the narrative is brilliant, the gameplay is basic.

@BAMozzy Now there's a man who likes his hyphens. 😃 Based on the context though, you're probably more after double quotes...

"The PS1 had so many games releasing weekly for it of which maybe 1 or 2 a month were regarded as 'great, memorable' games"

I think that might be nostalgia filtering a little. I don't quite remember there being hit after hit like that, but there were dozens of classics by the time the PS2 replaced it. Plenty of shovel on the system too, like the Men in Black movie tie in game, remember that one?

@mucc false, there are a ton of bad or okay games out there by popular vote that have dedicated fan bases... Relax Jim Ryan

@Flaming_Kaiser As I said, subjective. I found the story weak. People mainly remember it because of nastalgia of it being it the "First big 3D FF game", or because it was their entry game into the franchise/genre. Missing out on many superior games on the SNES.

@SilentS Isnt your opinion subjective then? It wasnt even my first Final Fantasy that was 8. Lets say this its your opinion against mine i loved it the secrets where awsome, story, characters they where the ones that stayed with me.

@zekepliskin Not really - out of 40-50 games every month releasing on PS1, 1 or 2 were 'great, memorable' games to some one - that's about 12 a year on average - so not really looking back with nostalgic goggles. Great also doesn't mean they were 9/10+ games either but games that are remembered 'fondly' by someone. I hated Parappa the Rapper but someone remembers it fondly...

If all your games are great, some will become forgettable too.
It's just not a good measure to use.

Good games are great too, if they are scratching a different itch.
For example, a new wild arms would scratch an anime JRPG itch that Sony has failed to scratch for a long time.
Variety is the spice of life Ryan.

I thought Jim promised to keep his mouth shut?

I really hate this guy and he should be fired ASAP.

He basically just said that all Sony cares about is AAA blockbusters.

This guy is the reason Sony sold out, got greedy, and got arrogant.

This guy is reason we don't have BC for older games (PS1, PS2, PS3).

This guy is reason we can't have smaller, more innovative games too.

Jim wants to charge $70 and just keep remaking Last of Us forever.

No wonder Nintendo/MS are running circles around Sony, thanks Jim.