Sony’s slashed its live service plans, announcing that six of its 12 in-production projects will not release by March 2026, as previously planned. The platform holder was plotting to launch the dozen or so titles by the end of its 2025 Fiscal Year, but in an earnings call, Sony bigwig Hiroki Totoki confirmed that it’s since scaled back its ambitions.
“We are trying as much as possible to ensure [these games] are enjoyed and liked by gamers for a long time,” he explained. “Of the 12 titles, six titles will be released by FY25 – that’s our current plan. As for the remaining six titles, we’re still working on that. That’s the total number of live service and multiplayers titles [and] mid-to-long-term we want to [push] this kind of service and that’s the unchanged policy of the company. It’s not like we stick to certain titles, but game quality should be most important.”
Upon its acquisition of Bungie, the Japanese giant called upon the Destiny developer’s expertise to conduct a rigorous review of its current live service portfolio. That appeared to result in Naughty Dog scaling back development of its previously announced multiplayer The Last of Us game, which is allegedly still in development – albeit as part of a much smaller team.
The platform holder has not exactly been forthcoming about its live service plans, aside from confirming the number of titles in development. We know there’s a multiplayer version of Horizon on the way from Guerrilla, and the manufacturer did announce Fairgame$ and Concord at a recent PlayStation presentation. London Studio is also working on a new online-based property.
But the exact nature of the remaining games remains a secret, much like the majority of Sony’s portfolio. Judging by Totoki’s comments, the company is not wavering on its commitment to live service – in fact, it sounds like it’s doubling down, by giving these titles more time and budget to mature. Let’s hope it tells us exactly what we’ve got to look forward to in the near future.
[source sony.com, via videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 86
It's baffling they're sticking to this policy when they see how many live service games crash and burn.
If they just stick to solid single player titles like Spider-Man and God of War it would be a guaranteed way to make bank instead of trying to chase this nonsense golden goose.
@Rob3008 I mean you say that, but if only one of the 12 hits like a Genshin Impact or Fortnite, it'll make many, many, many, many, many, many times more than a Spider-Man or God of War.
In fact, it'll probably help to fund those huge single player games.
Obviously it's a long-shot, but I don't think they're as crazy as you're implying for trying.
They can say what they like about live service games, I won’t be buying a single one.
I’ll just sit here instead waiting for GTA 6, God of War (as long as it’s not Atreus solo campaign), Ghost of Tsushima 2 etc.
@get2sammyb my thoughts exactly. It only takes one to take off. And they don't know which one (if any) until they try. Roblox on paper doesn't sound that great. Neither did Minecraft or so many others. Dreams did and it still failed. So they're gonna try and if they all fail, then they'll eventually stop. But if one of them becomes uber successful, it will all be worth it in the end no matter how much "hardcore gamers" are crying online.
@get2sammyb It just feels like making 12 solid single player games (or some with multiplayer modes) would generate more guaranteed cash and also sell more consoles.
Whilst I'm uninterested in playing this type of game; I'm pretty much a single player game type of guy, this sentence in the quote from the main article is interesting, and appears to be nuanced differently from the general '12 live service game' message. Or at least that's how I'm reading it!
The sentence is "That’s the total number of live service and multiplayers titles" - note if this was purely live service, there wouldn't need the "and multiplayer" wording there, so perhaps there is a mix of live service games and multiplayer-focussed (like CoD is).
Or just a consequence of translations ...
Time will tell, I guess.
I get Sony doing it, because they want to Chase the money. But why aren’t they multi platform? (Xbox too) It’s not going to maximise anything
@get2sammyb Agreed that the money COULD fund loads of other single player games.
But, doing 12 at once? That's a lot of development cost, and we already know Deviation Games had theirs canned, so thats already sunk costs to be recovered by whichever of the twelve is successful.
But then, saying you're going to realise 12 and hope one sticks....that's not inspiring confidence. That's saying quite plainly, throw it at the wall and see if it sticks, and with that knowledge that they most probably intend to can the 11 unsuccessful ones, why would you even bother getting invested in any of the games at all?
If it was three or four, sure. But 12? That's insane, and should the first 6 not land, then is there going to be any faith in the latter 6? Especially when the two we DO know of actually releasing anytime soon are Jade "Hasn't released a game in a decade" Raymond's "Transforming multiplayer" game that's just Payday, and whatever the hell Concorde is.
single player gamers are so selfish. single player games drop like rain in a rainstorm and they still complain when they hear about multiplayer games, SMH! So many quality single players release almost every month it seems, can people that like to play online have something for once? theres nothing to play besides battle royales and MMOs! theres no variety or high quality like single players get
So if it was 12 originally and and now it's still 12, Factions is definitely still ticking along?
Also, the specific use of "live service and multiplayer titles" is interesting. Maybe there's a mix of gaas and traditional online multiplayer games in there?
Speculation aside, London Studio's fantasy game is the one I want to get a look at. Fantasy battles in modern London. On paper it sounds narratively like Buffy meets Shadowrun.
@Rob3008 tell me you don’t understand anything about these business practices without telling me…
And some hoped that Sony were straight up cancelling them...not a chance, they have put a lot of time and money into them to just abandon them.
I mean things are going so well for Destiny at the moment right?😬
I think they should shift from this "Just throw them at the wall and see what sticks" approach and instead take another look at what you already got. GT7 seems to be doing well for itself. MLB The Show is a consistent cash cow and while I joked about Destiny you own Bungie who will be staying on the Live Service train anyway. Plus they have great relationships with all the big 3rd party ones like Fortnite and Genshin.
I don't know. I would say they should count themselves lucky they got what they already got and move on but clearly that's not the direction they are going. I'm not saying give up all together but right now it just feels like they don't really have a solid plan outside of "Let's just pray this works!"
The worrying part is that they keep giving updates about the development of live service games, but nothing on other stuff. How many single player titles are in development? Do most of their studios have even a single traditional game lined up?
There's so much uncertainty and it feels like, with Insomniac now getting some much deserved time away from the spotlights, the time to shed some light on what other studios are doing is now. Like, really now.
Huge gamble when they are doing so well because of their first party titles. Pretty much all single player games. Was Socom, warhawk , home all massively successful?
Hey Sony, how about delaying all your live service games... permanently.
@get2sammyb True, and I feel sorry for the devs. They know that they are working on a game for several years, and the probability that this game will be shut down after 18 months or so is higher than 50%. How can you motivate a team with this perspective?
I don't play multiplayer games much anymore but I'd love for Sony to release either a Warhawk remaster or a new game in the series absolutely loved Warhawk.
Tbf I'm looking forward to the Horizon and TLOU multiplayer games. I know people will bash Sony for this but how many of us have a had a blast with games like Overwatch, Diablo, Minecraft, Genshin, Monster Hunter, Apex Legends, Rocket League etc even one of my most played game last year (Hunt Showdown) was a live service game and I enjoyed that more than I do most single player games.
The fact is most live service games are GOOD games and are great fillers between big single player releases or great for when you feel burnt out playing a long single player game.
And then from a business perspective, these live service games bring in more money than single player games so it's a no brainier. Why do you think Microsoft are going after big live service makers like Activision and Mojang, I tell you now they don't care about the single player aspect.
@Max_the_German Lots of videogames/projects don't even make it out the door though. Getting an online game out and then seeing it shutdown is definitely a risk, but being shut down deep in to development is something that's happened to single player projects for a long time too.
Starting development on any new game is a risk.
Ambition, money and the hope that your project is the one that succeeds, that's what most creative endeavours are fuelled by.
@UltimateOtaku91 That online Horizon game, that's another I'm very eager to see.
You guys do know a live service game can also be single player, too, right? Genshin Impact does have co-op, but it's primarily a single player game. Honkai: Star Rail has some light online elements, but is a single player game, too!
@Shepherd_Tallon I'm hoping it's similar to Monster Hunter, hard to see what else it could be like.
@get2sammyb Animal Crossing is also classed as a live service game, live service means regular updates to content and not necessarily means its free and riddle with MTX.
@UltimateOtaku91 Absolutely. I was going to say in my last comment that all they have to do is let themselves be influenced by MH.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Completely agree, even if they absolutely refuse to release on Xbox they should at least be launching some of these games on PC, and possibly even mobile, at the same time as PS.
I hate live service and I fail to see Sony having any sucess anywhere near the level Fortnite, as the game will need to be everywhere like pc, mobile, xbox, switch to hit that level.
I really don't think this will end well, and now they are spending even more money on them, the fall is going to be even bigger.
I really hoped they had finally seen sense and were going to pivot away, but no, they decided to double down
@Shepherd_Tallon I know, and here we talk about devs from Insomniac, Bluepoint, Santa Monica, Naughty Dog etc., spoiled by success. Their single-player games of the past, with physical releases and without the need for active servers, will last. GaaS though?
@Jacko11 Tell me you're patronising to people with different opinions without telling me...
Live service games aren't inherently bad. It's ok to have 1 or 2 solid ones. I prefer playing a variety of games and maybe going for the platinum then moving on, but having a LS game on the side isn't a bad thing.
Half the problem here is that people have a very shallow idea of what constitutes a live service game?
GT7 is one, and dearly loved, as is Forza Horizon and more recently the Crew Motorfest where I find I'm actually engaging in online races and weekly competitions in a way I never thought I would.
There are several models of GAS and multiplayer games that I'm sure many of the player base would enjoy if they get it right. If they stick to their plan of ensuring they also deliver on the single player experiences they have always gotten right, then I'm excited to see what they can offer.
The fact they recognise that Game Quality trumps all else is rather heartening, and hopefully we will avoid the half finished trash that it so often released to certain failure.
@get2sammyb I've been saying this for months but honestly some of the commenters are so narrow-minded in their views that they won't give any game a chance as long as it's a SP game, and even then they will find some excuse.
@Max_the_German They have to try though.
Otherwise potentially it's just money left on the table.
@Titntin This is my take from it too. They're not rushing and are willing to delay their strategy to get the games right. If anything that makes me less anxious.
Live service stuff really doesn't really appeal to me,but I can sadly understand the logic in terms of wanting to try come up with their own COD/ GTA Online cashcow.
Like others,remained concerned at the focus having felt being more on those efforts at the expense of others...in particular,feel like the opportunity to have enjoyed the best of both worlds by tapping into IP's like bringing LBP 2 to current gen (which had plenty of mtx dlc), or tapped into the likes past games like Twisted Metal (with a solid single player/co-op mode), or maybe Warhawk,or even stuff like LBP Karting,Jak racing or similar.
Time will tell,I guess.
And now Ryan leaving after all this... Maybe its a coincidence, maybe not.
If Sony want a live service title to work its going to need to be multiplatform imo.
@Rob3008 the unfortunate truth is that this is a short-term strategy.
these games eventually plateau and end up on PSPlus. Live action stuff goes forever.
I'm with you, I want more Single player games but its just the business truth
If Sony live service games involve gacha mechanics (like now Genshin does), I'm not interested
@Shepherd_Tallon Cheers dude - if they stick with 'quality first' I'm always interested
On another note - Portal next week! Despite the naysayers, I'm keen to get mine..
@Titntin Oh man I'm hyped for that.
I was just talking about it under another article.
I didn't realise how close it was until yesterday.
When it gets here I'll take it out and see how it runs, but then I'll put it up for Christmas morning. Can't flippin wait.
Just the novelty of being able to go down to my parents house for dinner and Christmas TV, while still being able to play whatever new game I get.
Delay to whenever, ill still be here to not play them
@get2sammyb gambling is bad and is addiction. You can be that lucky one, but also it can burn your whole career down.
I don’t see how you make a platform locked live service game.
Fortnite, Genshin, all those mobile games I can’t name— the reason these titles make bank is (1) they run on everything so they have a huge potential audience and (2) that audience can constantly engage and spend money.
I just don’t see how Sony gains that level of success especially from their customer base — which based on Spiderman’s success wants epic AAA single player titles.
Not surprising at all. What a lot of people forget is that a live service game has to have an especially compelling gameplay loop to convince people to keep playing long term. Most game mechanics wear thin well before you roll credits. To do this is REALLY hard and takes a LOT of time to get right. Failure rate is high even if the core game is good. It needs to be great.
@get2sammyb I use Fortnite and Genshin as examples the whole time. But to really make that sort of money the game HAS to be on mobile, probably PC too and even other platforms. Which got me thinking. Do we think any of these will come to mobile? PC seems more likely. What about other consoles?
You can still make a lot of money without going cross platform, but it's not going to be in the same league.
@Shepherd_Tallon They acquired more studios since the 12 statement. Doesn't necessary mean Factions is still going. (but it is, at least for now)
What a sh*t show. Purchasing Bungie and focusing on GaaS MAY end up being one of Sony’s biggest regrets.
This may be the beginning of woes.
Planning on releasing 12 titles by 2026 and having to cut that in half due to quality issues is NOT a sign that all is well, but at least they recognize it.
Sony’s lucky that the PS5 is a huge success due to the loyalty gained from previous generations.
As long as these decisions are 100% data driven, I'm all in.
Gotta loooove those data based games.
Soon to be announced:
Socket League, a game where you are a Socket Wrench that plays a kind of version of basketball against all the other tools in the toolbox.
BiWeekly: a kind of cartoonish shooter where the world resets every 2 weeks to keep things fresh.
Mein Kraft. You are a kind of blocky character wearing lederhosen seeking ultimate power against all who stand in your way! And you can build stuff, like digital Lego.
Can't waiiiiiiit for these 😁
You can keep your live service games.
@get2sammyb could some of these actually be mobile games too? Didn't Sony acquire a mobile developer or two? Is it stated that all 12 are console releases?
I sense a slightly new direction already at Sony. And I’m liking it.
I haven't played a multiplayer game in years and honestly doesn't appeal to me anymore now I have got older. Time is very restricted, so id much rather use that on a story. I think if live service could be done right it could actually be really popular. But they all seem to follow the same trends and never actually experiment. Very few have succeeded and kept going to many years and I highly doubt there will be more like that. Will probably end up being a smaller dev somewhere in the world with the next big hit.
@get2sammyb Don't forget that MLB The Show is live service so we already know that 3/6 games is that (MLB The Show 24, 25, 26) given the franchise releases almost every year in March. So from that it seems the 6 are:
If they're counting PS Studios games where they don't own the studio like Helldivers 2 then replace one of Concord/Fairgame$/Marathon with that game.
Looks to me like Sony's change in direction is leave live service to the live service studios (Bungie, San Diego, Firewalk, Haven) meanwhile studios that traditionally work on single player epics, work on single player epics.
I suppose it's all about finding the perfect formula/blueprint, imagine how many times the upcoming GTA online has being ripped up and started fresh to get more money out of people the next time around.
I think this is good news as more time to make sure whatever they make is of a good quality is key for any chance of success.
At this point "live service" has become term with a lot of stigma but it's just a label. All the best live service games were good games first and a live service second and all the flops were because they focused on it being a service first.
So Sony are doing the right thing is making sure they make sure the games are good in the first place before worrying about whether they can be supported in the long term.
It's depressing to think about how many years of development that could have been put into high-quality single-player exclusives by their various studios are instead being flushed down the live-service toilet.
Sure, if you make another Fortnite, it's like winning the lottery, but the vast majority of these games fail.
I'm not saying Sony shouldn't experiment and try its hand at another live service series. Honestly, that's what they should have done with Bungie. But right now we have a practically non-existent roadmap for the sort of games that Playstation fans actually buy these consoles for. We're getting closer to the midway point of this generation and it feels like Sony has almost no PS5 exclusives and has only just begun to shift away from developing games primarily for PS4. And instead of revealing plans for a robust mid-to-late-gen PS5 support schedule, Sony announced TWELVE live service games.
PS5 may be successful, but I detest where the brand is going. At least it seems like the live service push is slowing down with Jim Ryan's departure.
@Rob3008 I agree and disagree. What sony needs is a diverse portfolio of games and genres. That means they need some kind of multi-player or live service game. That being said pairing back production on the main reason gamers buy your console over Xbox or Nintendo is a stupid decision. 12 games, 6 of which will release in 2025. They can barely get one game out a year let alone 6. All we got from sony this year was a vr version of horizon and spiderman. Let me tell you I'd be happy with a remaster trilogy of resistance to help fill the gaps in the release schedule. Lucky for them, this year I've been busy with a huge collection of 3rd party titles mostly from square enix and EA. Not a single game I've played this year has been from either of those models. I'm honestly baffled why we haven't heard about sonys next big game for 2024 yet. This makes me think there isn't one. If all they are releasing is live service games they will start to see interest waiver on ps5.
Maybe they're working on a new sub system or model, and that's why they delay 6 games of similar gameplay 🤔 😏
@michaelf Honestly this announcement is reassuring to me. Not because I just LOVE live service games (I find most boring) but because it indicates more caution moving forward. Jim Ryan's attitude reminded me of the Star Wars "A New Hope" pilot saying "Stay on target!" a dozen times before he gets shot down for being cocky. New investments and pursuing bold ambitions are fine, but not with pomp. I wonder if Ryan's departure had something to do with how inflexible he was?
How is Sony this ignorant of market conditions? There's a multitude of Live Service games that haven't last 1 YEAR! In the past Year! Unless it's a fully committed MMO complete with a subscription model of some heavily estabished IP like say the Horizon or Sony Spiderman universe, I don't see how they can get by on a FTP model. Those rarely succeed. The TLOU2 Factions mode got snuffed by a failing Live Service company that just laid off 100 veterans. This is a terrible direction to go. Xbox is gonna eat Sony's lunch for years. They just bought the absolute Kings of Live Service! Once they rebuild the faith of old pc gamers by reinvigorating IP's like Starcraft and WoW, they are gonna crush Sony in LiveService.
The funny thing is, people are now simply buying PlayStations out of habit. I mean just look at what the most-played games on PlayStation are - they don't even require a PlayStation, yet Sony gets the hardware sale, regardless.
If you look at Microsoft's most-played, there are actual Microsoft-exclusive games on the list. That suggests that when people buy an Xbox, they buy it for a specific reason (whether you like Microsoft's output is a whole other story).
So, as long as people continue to buy PlayStations for better Fortnite, Call of Duty, and [sports game X] out of sheer habit, the first-party output isn't as much of a factor and Sony can experiment.
And since the first-party games are the minority of sales in the grand scheme of things, so is the potential "lost hardware sales" from unsatisfied customers being within Sony's losses threshold.
Sucks being a metric on a bar chart, huh (that goes for all companies, by the way)?!
@DeathlySW yes, perhaps there is a slight change in direction with Jim heading off.
Hopefully this will continue to mean great quality AAA (and AA) games released by PlayStation Studios that we can enjoy for many years to come.
Hopefully they don’t forget people want single player story games, too.
They can delay them indefinitely for all I care as I don't go near Live Service games anyway.
Keep it up Push Square commenters, we're winning!
I wish I could peak into the future to see if Sony is losing in the gaming space again once all these live service games release. Because it sure feels like they will be. I'm already starting to lose interest in PS as a brand seeing what is on offer over the next 5 plus years.
I'm really a one console guy, and with this change in Sony it's given me the first itch in along time to sell my PS5 and get an Xbox.
@get2sammyb You're right if just one catches on they are set, but in the span of time they release all these titles you can feel they are slowly losing there core audience. People aren't idiots. They dont buy Playstation consoles for these types of games. If one of these 12 titles don't catch on yalls staff might be working on the Pure Xbox or Nintendo Life sites, lol.
@get2sammyb Ok so we read this excuse defending Sony's tone-deaf business plan time and time again.
So can you please give me an example where a successful live service/predatory scheme game has been reinvested toward major single player game releases... I don't mean reinvested in more schemes, or the same scheme. Yet one where they use the profits not to line shareholder pockets, but to craft a quality single player game.
@Ken_Kaniff Couldn't agree more.
@Ken_Kaniff "They dont buy Playstation consoles for these types of games"
Have you looked at the Top 10 Most-played games on PS4/PS5 in September?
Here is a recap:
Fornite
COD: MW2
GTA V
Saints Row (2022)
NBA 2K23
Apex Legends
Minecraft
NBA 2K24
COD: BLOPS - Cold War
MK1
Not a single exclusive on the list (and most have GaaS elements or are GaaS). Those games can be bought and played on any platform, but people choose PlayStation to play them regardless. Now I am sure Spider-Man 2 will make the list for October, but I am willing to bet that it will drop off quickly and this list will look pretty similar month to month.
Fact of the matter is, PlayStation is synonymous with gaming in most parts of the world. Casuals pick it up just because it's what they know and it's the "next version" - it has little or nothing to do with single-player exclusives.
Sony knows this and wants to tap into that from a software standpoint.
Sony has the hardware locked down for the foreseeable future in the same way Apple has the iPhone locked down. It would have to take some seriously disruptive technology to swing things in anyone else's favor. Nintendo's next system will sell because it's tapped into its own market and many people get one as a supplemental console - though even that market is growing in competition.
Does it suck for fans of the heavy single-player focus Sony had? Absolutely! Does it matter to Sony? Time will tell.
@GamingFan4Lyf People choose the Ps5 for their exclusives that much is obvious, but those games are singleplayer story games so obviously people don't play them month in month out.
@KundaliniRising333 Actually their plan makes perfect sense. They want to make some live service games that make them loads of money and will tide people over while they wait for their new singleplayer exclusives. Xbox already have theirs with sea of thieves, grounded and halo infinite so what's wrong with Sony doing the same thing.
@MrMagic But you would think that with the steady stream of new PS5's being sold on the market, at least one single-player exclusive would be on this list month as these new customers (heck, at least Astro's Playroom since it comes with the system).
Nintendo manages to keep its exclusives on lists week in and week out because people are buying Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games.
Yes, there are people buying PlayStations to play Sony games, but it's not the majority - not anymore.
I'm not downplaying Sony in any way. It took a lot of smart moves to basically make the hardware the staple of the living room - built on the backs of quality first-party games and strong third-party partnerships.
But Sony doesn't want to only have one game on a Most-played on release month. Sony wants games that are always there.
With the backlash to the live service reveals and swift changes that have been happening since Jim Ryan's leaving announcement, I'm starting to believe that he was asked to retire.
If they rather focus on games and not waste our money on stupidities...
@get2sammyb hasn't genshin impact made like $4 billion already 🤔
@GamingFan4Lyf Astro's playroom is not the reason people buy a Ps5, I still haven't even bothered to download it yet and I'd bet that's the same for most people. It's also only a 4 hour long freebie that most people only play once.
You say it's out of habit or brand loyalty which is partially true but that's all because of the exclusives. I can guarantee you millions of people bought a Ps5 for Ragnarok, Forbidden west, and Spiderman 2 and the same will happen with the upcoming wolverine. Sony's exclusives bring in new players as well as old. Millions of Xbox players probably bought an Xbox because of nostalgia as well, it works both ways.
GamingFanLyf - (Sony doesn't want to only have one game on a Most-played on release month. Sony wants games that are always there)
Those top 10 most played charts are dominated by live service, new releases and evergreen titles that have sold astronomical numbers and maybe the odd flop that people were interested in but refused to buy like Saints Row, so unless a game meets that criteria it is hard for them to be break into the list and is even more reason for Sony to make some live service games.
In translation: we can only deliver 6 live service games, though we said we'll make 12. They just don't want to be frank because it doesn't sound appealing to the shareholders.
@GamingFan4Lyf Thats all fine and great, but I guarantee none of Sonys live service games will ever be in that top 10. Even if they are a success. They will not be a Fortnite success. That ship has long sail for any developer.
@Ken_Kaniff I won't say never - I hope it does pay off for Sony (and hope it doesn't totally abandon what draws me to the platform in the first place) - but you're probably right.
@MrMagic Millions of people did buy Spider-Man: ~30% of the total PS4 sales (33 million - give or take). God of War 2018 as well at ~20% of the total PS4 sales (23 million - give or take). Horizon Forbidden West sold less than 8% of total PS4/PS5 sales (8.4 million).
That's the thing, though. For any platform, only about 20%-25% of the total units sold are to the "core" audience.
The rest...probably couldn't care less about Spider-Man, God of War, Halo, Gears of War, Forza, Starfield, Ghost of Tsushima, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Odyssey, or half of the fanboy ranting people do on every fan-based website to proclaim that their plastic box is bigger than the other (metaphorically speaking).
They play their Call of Duty, Fortnite, etc., insult the mothers of their opponents, and go to bed at 5 AM only to get up for school at 7 AM and talk about insulting the mothers of their opponents on Call of Duty, Fortnite, etc. to their friends.
@GamingFan4Lyf There's multiple reasons why someone would choose PlayStation.
Exclusives and Controller layout or maybe as Phil said they're locked in because of digital purchases from the Ps4 or it's where their friends play and brand loyalty ect. All those things play a part, but at the end of the day people make a choice and pick which console they want even if their choice is influenced by things it's still their choice and imo Sony have earned their brand recognition.
@MrMagic I never said it didn't. My point is that single-player exclusives aren't the majority share of that reason else there would be a 100% attachment rate of first-party games to consoles (which no console has had a 100% attachment rate - I think Wii Sports came close since it was a pack-in, but I am not counting that).
It's evident that people are making two clear mistakes in the comments.
1. They think live service means gacha/battle royal
2. They think if Sony are developing LS games then they must not be doing/could be doing more single player games.
Both of these assumptions are blatantly incorrect. Please think with your brains and not your emotions. I wonder how many play Monster Hunter and say Live Service bad
Dunno why they're asking Bungie for advice on such matters. Surely it's in Bungie's best interest that none of those games outshine destiny. It's like being asked to interview someone for your job when you just got hired. Most people I know can only handle 1 or 2 live service games at a time.
sounds like sony intends to rest primarily on 3rd party software for the next several years as most of their internal studios will be tied up with service games. outside of wolverine, tsushima 2 and last of us 3 (to be released over the next several years) what other single player games is sony currently working on? at most, we may only get one or two single player games from sony in 2024, with a similar output in 2025 and beyond. if anyone thought 2023 was a drought for playstation studios (all we got from sony is spiderman 2 and let's try to forget that call of the mountain ever happened), get used to it.
based on sony's track record for anything that is NOT a narrative driven, single player experience, their gaas output will bomb hard and negatively impact their financials for the next 5 years or so. this is going to get ugly. they should cut their losses now by either cancelling the remaining 6 service games or transitioning them into single player experiences where possible. good times ahead? i don't know anymore. relying on 3rd party software which primarily consists of remakes and predictable, subpar sequels isn't going to cut it. most playstation fans expect more from their internal studios and gaas just isn't it.
@get2sammyb While true, Fortnite has crossovers, evolves in big ways. Genshin is for anime fans willing to buy into any gacha games enough, the characters, worlds, and more (doesn't interest me even as an anime fan got other priorities then those types of fans/they aren't immersive or convincing to me not that I want them to be anyway).
Technically WipEout Rush and Fate GO are under Sony so they have mobile ones out there even if WipEout fans ignore the game as who wanted a sci-fi racer manager game. Gran Turismo B spec or a manager game made more sense honestly, more appeal of brand and cars/teams like F1 managers, I think a bit of a miss step.
Thing is if Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, current Spiderman games or God of War were live service like Assassin's Creed for example I don't know what to think for the stories, their content, would it make them less impactful/how things would be handled maybe.
Then just particular multiplayer live services. Singleplayer live services, multiplayer modes/offering like AC Unity (no idea how they handle it just know it's a thing) or Ghost of Tsushima's.
Just like Destruction Allstars who wanted a colourful arena and vehicles game what casuals care for vehicular combat games anyway they are niche who thought it was a good idea? Twisted Metal made sense with the destruction/the vibe, the themes, setting let alone cough line it up with the TV show nope.
What casuals care about vehicles most/any don't so strike 1, the colours and world aren't inviting strike 2, marketing/concept/support and more strike 3.
(did Lucid remember Blur? old Bizarre Creations staff at all now part of Playground or Lucid or elsewhere/retired maybe? Blur has a cult following but it had personality just not wide appeal (it makes some games like NFS Unbound worth comparing street culture appeal) but that's it besides the mario kart marketing and arcade racer appeal dying down.
I love Blur (and The Club, that arcade spin on things, miss them, PGR cars, cities, 100s of layouts smartly designed) but still, then again OnRush is to me MotorStorm but different modes/multi-platform but I guess different personality too yet it flopped? Maybe wrong time? I don't know.
So no idea what online support they lacked in the career mode events seem fine and doesn't take too long/get too boring but oh it's short people may have complained about I don't know).
The gameplay/online experience changing, some charm. I mean even Nintendo's online is so eh because of the lacking content (not saying anything about peer to peer/otherwise here) they think online is fine then 'more create your own fun with enough here' (Splatoon is a different cases) when there is barely anything to make your own fun with of support then other games.
But Mario Sports games or others are different even if eh content drops getting worse/less personality/less charm just eh sport not a good mix of ideas to be compelling/what people buy arcade sports games for, characters, fun modes (what lack the most), interesting maps to use the universe's strengths then bland environments.
Sony will have the same issue if they don't offer enough content/concepts to work and keep people caring (timing content/value of that content is it's own challenge though).
But prove it and with staff that 'get that'.
The BR/live services and more eh then just DLC and sequel approach currently. Money focus aside they need to be smart about it.
I don't care for any of their cinematic IPs so doesn't bother me but I do still think about what they do as a business regardless and encase I do care again besides Astro/Dreams only so far as others have let me down.
I'm not interested but am curious. Same as how they have had their characters in third party games before. How they use them maybe in the live services for events too. Or don't go that direction for characters/skins/themes/events/maps.
If one of these 12 games hit, Sony can fund a whole generation of games, can you blame them for trying?
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