SirAngry

@God_of_Nowt indeed, in terms of unique games, ideas, but especially talent ironically, Europe has never been stronger, the level of funding and support for European studios has never been weaker. It's quite a shame, but many European studios are having to try and go it alone, and are struggling like IO Interactive, Remedy, Techland even the likes of CD Projekt Red are struggling to maintain their creative freedom and finance themselves. We're seeing consolidation in the industry and there could be quite a few bargains in both Japan and Europe that could do with the support Sony give to their US Studios. I really hope Sumo do well with Sackboy and Lucid knock it for 6 with Destruction Allstars.

@God_of_Nowt agreed, you look at the studios in the UK Sony have shuttered. Liverpool, Cambridge, Camden, Evolution and the newly launched Manchester Studios. They've split association with Quantic Dream in France too, and Wild Sheep Studios, are they still a thing? Sony have retracted to their US Studios, of that there can be no question. Outside if Japan Studios, Guerilla and maybe Media Molecule (although they're getting smaller) we're pretty much looking at US based developers. That's a shame. Sony via XDev and studio partnerships used to have a solid presence of European developed content too. Right now it does feel like they've stepped away from that.

This is quite an interesting story. Japan Studios have actually been ramping up for a few years now, so hearing that they're scaling back now could mean any number of things, either the recruitment was cyclical expansion as they worked on products and ramping down after finishing. However, they attracted some top studio talent. It could also be removing of chaff, people who have under performed, Japan Studios also spent a long time gearing up towards mobile development for PSP and PS Vita, they're probably due a restructuring. They've also significantly under performed with the games they have produced this generation. However, Sony abandoning the Japanese market just now doesn't seem wise, they should invest more in Japanese Studios, and not just their own.

As I said a few weeks back, there's going to be a lot of consolidation in the games industry going forward. I think some previously big names might essentially disappear from gamers vocabulary.

@Arnna sadly I can't, but I remember reading a few months back now that a senior combat designer had left to join Japan Studios.

@Makina yeah in Japan a number of places have reported they're having issues. Plus a number of key From Soft staff have apparently left the company.

Waifu's for everyone!!!

Seriously though, Mr Monopoly should take a look at this one. I also guess this is what Sony and AT&T were talking about rather than WB Films & Games.

A few years on and as far as I'm concerned Hollow Knight remain the b at 2D Metroidvania out there.

@NEStalgia Sony's response to external business threats has always been go luxury / premium.

Hifi - that didn't work out great because they suddenly weren't competing with Phillips but people like Arcam, Cambridge Audio and Rega.

TV / projector - there weren't as many competitors in the premium TV marketplace... because there wasn't much of a market for it and price like Samsung, LG etc. still offered good midrange and low price options, so Sony just ignored market points.

PCs - Their Vaio laptops were actually really well built, with nice features and good solid specifications. Just as they started getting market share they decided they could suddenly charge Apple prices for a Windows based product

You can see similar patterns in their phone, Walkman and camera divisions. I'm not saying they didn't actually offer great products. They absolutely do. I had a Vaio laptop for work, it still bloody works which is more than can be said for its multiple replacements over the intervening decade. The issue is they target smaller markets and try to sweat more out of the smaller customer pool, that's a highly risky strategy.

As someone who sees Sony as the only current co sole manufacturer whose vision of what gaming should look like, that fully aligns with my own, I find their leadership terrifying. Jim Ryan does not instill me with confidence. Not in the slightest. Sony need to change just a little and realise that doing so now will guarantee they remain in control of not only their future, but a market trajectory that still supports the types of gaming experience I want to play and produce.

Still the best console ever, simply because of the game library. The PS4 is looking a close second or even contender right now, but for me the PS2 still edges it.

You see, by your answer I don't think you do get what I'm saying. Sony don't lose those 500k customers, they lose those sales of games to those customers, and 92 to 96% of Sony's profits come from sales of third party games on their platforms, year depending.

Let's take those, let's say 9m PS5 sales. Those same analysts think roughly 3m of those consumers will also have an XSX. MS is saying roughly a third of their console users will be Game Pass subscribers by March 2021, that might be an overestimate, but growth patterns suggest it's a considerable underestimate, but let's say 1m of those PS5 owners own both systems, and have Game Pass. Any multi-platform games on Game Pass are pretty much guaranteed lost sales on PS5, the very thing Sony rely on.

It all adds up, and reduces their revenue stream, which reduces their ability to act, and their ability to compete within the space. So, Sony need to understand that yes, their current business plan works great, but disruption is coming whether they or you like it or not.

To which I'd like to point out that just because no one cares or cared about PS Now, that doesn't mean people aren't interested in subscription services, just that they aren't interested in Sony's subscription service. The growth of Game Pass proves that they can be popular when the service is good and attractive.

Nintendo won't be harmed as much, because they moved to being primarily supported by their first party studios a couple of generations ago, Sony are nowhere near that position. That is why if they wish to support their current structures, activities and model they do need to look at their two services PS+ and PS Now as well as securing a bigger stream of guaranteed content on their platform. The status quo will lead to diminishing returns and revenue.

@Revengercm yeah actually, having worked for major publisher like EA and Ubisoft and having seen their market research I do think I have an understanding of the market, and the various segmentations, and value is a key driver in the industry. It's why I'm concerned about the rise in prices of next-gen games.

You also completely miss the point about Stadia or Luna or even Game Pass. So Sony sells 7.6m PS5s, those EA analysts I know think it'll be closer to 9m actually, Stadia and Luna don't need to match those figures to substantively damage Sony's business. If just 500k of those same consumers choose to access Ubisofts 3 upcoming games (WD Legion, AC Valhalla and FC6) via Luna, those are lost sales and revenue for Sony. That's the disruption. Sony will lose money on those 7.5 to 9m PS5's. They need everyone to buy games in their ecosystem, just a small proportion choosing to go to other services to get those games dramatically impacts Sony's business plan, and if you don't see or understand that then cool, we agree to disagree.

@Revengercm no, I'm a gamer, my worldview is I like dedicated hardware because it is thus far the best way to play. I however am also a developer of roughly 20 years and I know full well that a majority of gamers just do not care about how they play, where they play, just as long as they can play. They're just looking for value for money, it's why Game Pass subscriptions are growing so rapidly. I'm not blinkered enough not to see that just like Sony bought it's way into the industry in 1995 that significantly larger corporations couldn't do the same now. You apparently are, and that's cool, maybe you're right, just trying to get you to see that it's not just your perspective that is valid, and that large companies even if they aren't runaway successes could still be disruptive to the industry you currently like and change things for the worse for people like you and me. I can see both sides, and that's why a really do feel Sony also need to be aware of the threat posed to their current business model, and act accordingly.

@Octane actually yeah, lol. They've built some damn fine tools. Some of which I'm sure Sony might actually own. Bluepoint are actually a very technically gifted bunch, put a decent design team in their and a good creative director and I do think they'd rapidly get up to speed.

@Revengercm Ubisoft. Try and keep up.

Your entire argument is "this is my world view, it is the only world view, and therefore there are no potential problems whatsoever"

I'm trying to get you to see your worldview might not be the only one. A few years back there was no space in the market for other streaming services than Netflix, now look at it.

Also Google do not view Stadia as a failure, it actually worked, and it got better as they rolled out datacenters. It achieved what they wanted, they now need a business plan because their infrastructure and technology is there. Luna is in a different space, they've got the business plan and they now need the infrastructure.

@Revengercm no I have listened to them. You think the games industry is you and your tastes. Cool. So explain why things you don't like are popular and financially successful.

@Revengercm I think there's no point talking any further to you. The points are sailing so far above your head it's not worth it. For the record I think the infrastructure both Google and Amazon are putting in place are formidable, and as someone with some experience of building netcode for AAA games I'm impressed.

@Revengercm facepalm, it's not just Ubisoft Games, there's support from EA, Capcom, Activision, Take Two and pretty much everyone. Plus having actually tested Stadia since Google rolled out better support and Luna a few months ago I have to say I am massively impressed with what I saw. The point isn't about core gamers who'll notice a few ms of latency, it's about shifting a chunk of the 60m or so casual gamers away from places like PlayStation, and expanding the market to new segmentations. Do you think Sony's PlayStation business would look so healthy with it's install base cut by a third? Do you think they could support the first party studios they currently do in that scenario? Looking at their financials and where the money comes from (mostly license fees from third parties) I don't.

This is about tempting people from outside of the PlayStation ecosystem into it. It's arguably very shrewd, because that is one hell of a line up if you've skipped PS4 this generation.

@Revengercm not really sure what your point about rotating Devs is. However, every studio I've worked at tries to maintain what is referred to often times as the spine and brain. Key personnel in positions to maintain the organisation going forward, losing key parts of the brain and spine can literally kill a developer for years.

Hate to say Google and Amazon don't care about you, and that is precisely why you should be concerned. You don't like Ubisoft Games... Good for you. Plenty of people do. Rainbow 6, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and The Division are all relatively big industry franchises, losing any of them from the PC, PlayStation or Xbox ecosystem would absolutely damage those ecosystems. I hate to break it to you, but the games industry doesn't revolve around you, or even people like you.

@NEStalgia I mentioned Tencent and Huawei earlier on. They're sniffing, make no mistake. I actually think they want a Chinese console. As to Google etc? They could all by Sony in a blink of an eye and not even make a dent in their respective bank balances for very long. Jim Ryan's discussion or mention of mergers is really interesting in the light of some of the players moving into the market, and Epic Games Sweeney and Randy Pitchford at Gearbox all seemingly saying similar things around mergers to stave off the big predators. I do think WB Games, Ubisoft and Capcom are all vulnerable. The lines of Bungie and CDPR too if they (tech giants) wanted to make a splash / statement if intent.

@Revengercm you just don't have the perspective I do and that's fine. Not saying you are wrong. However, Google had been courting publishers since 2012, and Amazon not long after that. Ubisoft Games are going day and date to Luna streaming service. That's arguably better than MS and Game Pass but nowhere has really picked that up.

@Octane just like to point out Bluepoint do have a hell of a lot to offer in terms of technology, although your point about hostile takeovers is well made. People in studios can just walk, ask id and Tangoworks... key staff leaving apparently.

@NEStalgia I agree, it's what I've been saying. Amazon and Google are here, and trust me, they're going nowhere, if anything they are going to be buying companies too. The fragmentation of the industry is a concern. I'm not worried necessarily about MS, but the big tech firms? Yeah. They concern me. Apple is absolutely coming to play as well.

Besides, it's not even necessarily about market share in they few years, if you think Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple don't all have it within n them to be seriously disruptive in the industry you've not seen how they behave in other sectors. Sony need to be on their toes. Neither Amazon or Google need to become market leader to do substantive damage to Sony or Microsoft's gaming businesses.

@Revengercm it might've been "cheaper" but Amazon and Google have the money. That's the point. In fact money isn't an issue to Amazon, they've been willing to eat billions upon billions in losses just to establish market share. I might be too close to it to see it, but what I see up close is a willingness to throw more money at things than the industry is used to.

@lacerz it's not an either or situation. Growing a studio has to be a steady thing, you can't just dump $250m into a studio and say "go employ staff, make more game yes". Doesn't work like that, if you have a successful studio / chemistry an influx of new people can throw all of that out of whack quite quickly.

Whereas buying a team / studio that gas that chemistry nets you the same end result with less if the risk and more value if they have their own technology / IP. That's why I look at some of the studios mentioned and raise an eyebrow. Sony generally by studios with interesting IP, technology or both.

@Revengercm I'm old enough to remember people saying similar things about Sony and Microsoft entering the gaming industry. Sony wouldn't last a year, and Microsoft wouldn't launch a second console.

I'm really surprised we've yet to see significant price cuts to the PS4 Pro and base PS4. I guess this partly explains why.

I think Hello Games deserve a fair amount of credit and recognition for how they've turned No Man's Sky around. Just as much as they deserved the initial criticism they got, they equally deserve some applause now.

@Revengercm Microsoft has plenty to worry about, both Google and Amazon have consistently spanked Microsoft in spaces they should've already locked down. They're in a strong position, but so to were Internet Explorer, Skype, their server business and many other sectors they've been muscled out of market leading positions in. They currently have no need to be concerned, but as Satya Nadella has said himself Microsoft should absolutely not be complacent. Maybe I have a very different view on things because I've seen the reps and courting both Google and Amazon have done with third parties. Both of their charm offensive games are strong, as are the earnings to be made from their revenue models... plus in terms of actual streaming tech? Stadia and Luna both have a leg up on XCloud right now technically speaking, and I quite like xCloud.

It won't have been certification.

Yeah, I remember them being hopeful of selling 3 to 4m PS4s in a similar period at that consoles launch, and we all know how that went down. They hit roughly 6.5m. They have a tendency to set sales figures for both software and hardware low. I have no idea whether it is a corporate strategy, or whether their executives are in a constant state of surprise at how well their PlayStation division is doing.

@Mafia_Man19 Gearbox wouldn't be a bad shout. They need a decent FPS studio, but Gearbox seem to have designs on becoming a publisher.

@SuperSaeko I think people are seriously underestimating the the clout Microsoft first party studios now have. It'll take time for Xbox Studios to gel and get into their groove, but I actually expect really good things from them over the next 5 to 6 years. The ZeniMax purchase has the potential to seriously shift the landscape of the gaming industry, but it's down to Microsoft to execute on that promise.

@Rob_230 I suggested Level-5 weeks ago, mainly because it is known they are looking for a partner / merger / buyout as they're not financially secure. There are a fair few Japanese studios in a similar position.

@Col_McCafferty I do wonder whether EA would be willing to part ways with BioWare. There's been a breakdown between the two, and I'd rather EA offloaded them than just shutter them like they did with Visceral Games amongst others.

@Revengercm I think you underestimate the tech industries power / money and desire for monopolization at your own peril. I do not think someone like Amazon buying say Ubisoft would mean Ubisoft are DoA. Both Google and Amazon seem like they're here to stay, and both seemingly are willing to throw money at the industry to buy a seat at the table. Gamers absolutely should fear a fragmentation of gaming content, much like has happened in the movie/TV streaming space.... and I haven't even got onto both Huawei and Tencent who both seem to be toying with the idea of a Chinese console.

@GarySan I believe From Software own all their IPs apart from the Sony published Demon's Souls and Bloodborne. Actually maybe Activision own Sekiro. However, I believe Dark Souls and Elden Ring are both From Software owned IPs.

PS. The mergers comment was interesting given a number of Japanese Studios and publishers (KoeiTecmo, SNK, Level-5, Capcom, Bandai Namco, Platinum and others I'm sure I've forgotten) have recently intimated that a way for them to survive might be via mergers to cut down on duplication of business structures. So hearing Jim Ryan say the same was at first bizarre, but maybe now not so much.

@nessisonett to be fair, that engaging third parties to provide content was actually started by Sony in the PS1 era, and it is one they've pursued ever since. So it is hardly "Nintendo's" way or idea. You mention Nintendo's Koei Tecmo partnerships, which is ironic, as it was Sony who originally engaged them to produce games exclusively, starting with things like Dynasty Warriors and culminating with the Nioh franchise recently.

In terms of what Jim Ryan said though? I don't believe a word of it. I hate "rumours" but if various tittle tattle doing the rounds is correct Sony were seriously interested in both Ninja Theory and 4A Games, but missed out on both be wise of their strategy. Their slowly, slowly catchy monkey approach isn't going to work in an industry that is rapidly consolidating and that have serious heavy hitters like Amazon, Google, Facebook and even Apple (yeah it's a thing) moving into town. Sony right now could compete and snap up studios, but if they wait too long they could be looking at empty store shelves. Sony were apparently eying Sanzaru Games too, but I think it was Facebook who just came in and dumped the cash. I think Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax was more about Amazon and Google than Sony as well, I think Microsoft are gearing up for that fight.

So do I think Sony "need" to acquire more studios? Actually yes. Because there's a chance if they don't grow their size in terms of exclusive game footprint that they'll become collateral damage in the fight of the tech giants. Hearing the likes of Amazon and Google start to talk about being aggressive in buying up publishers to leverage for their game services means that the likes of Nintendo and Sony need to be more aggressive at staking out their patch, Sony possibly more so because it's more their patch in terms of content Google, Amazon and of course Microsoft are targeting. So while I'd normally say leave third parties independent, seeing more ZeniMax like acquisitions going to the tech giants would spell disaster for the console space for me, because Amazon and Google are definitely not interested in selling us hardware, and I think even Microsoft view it as a chore.

As to whom Sony should target? That becomes a far more difficult question to answer. I do feel there are holes in their line up of studios. The glaring holes being Western RPGs, JRPGs, First Person Shooters and online competitive / co-operative games. Sony have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to dormant IP as well, so acquiring the likes of Sumo Digital and others and growing them into competent studios able to take forward the likes of Sackboy, Sly Cooper or WipEout probably makes the shrewdest financial sense. We won't see Sony buying Capcom, WB Games or Ubisoft, they just don't have the liquid assets to do that, but those publishers are certainly targets for the tech giants, and gamers absolutely should be bracing themselves for these companies being bought out, and the likes of Bungie too.

@nessisonett wasn't an error. The wording was very similar to both Sony's and Microsoft's individual marketing terms. So I think they were just following each companies PR guidelines for their respective platforms. Speaking of which Sony used to use a lower case "K" in some of their Tweets / posts and people even jumped at that saying "4k was not the same as 4K" I kid you not.

@NeuralDeclan yeah, the environments don't look "great" but it's a current gen game that has essentially been upscaled I guess. They're not the biggest team in the world either, and the over all frame quality looks nice.

Just popping in to say that looks pretty. Whether it's ray traced or not isn't really the point, those frames look nice.

@Medic_Alert I think id were stung by the criticism Doom 2016 was a bit "basic". What some saw as basic, I saw as a really pure expression of a streamlined design goal perfectly executed. Doom 2016 delivered on what it promised in bucket loads. However, people wanted wall running and emotes, but Doom proudly stood there and said "I'm old skill, deal with it", and in an industry obsessed with copying the latest trends and fads it's unashamedly "basic" nature and homage to FPS games of the past, not least it's own heritage was a breath of fresh air. I loved every second of it.

@Medic_Alert it's the classic case of sequel feature creep. The platforming sections in isolation while not utterly terrible (although they are mediocre) when dumped into the rest of the Doom experience are jarring. They take you out of the game and for me a few times I just turned the game off when I saw a platforming section because it's just not what I wanted. The whole stab to get bullets rhythm action stuff had merit, but eventually got tiring too. Again not a terrible addition in and of itself, but at times felt awkward and clunky, especially via a controller, not so bad on KBAM. All in all Doom Eternal felt like a backwards step to me on Doom 2016, it's not as terrible as some made out, but it doesn't live up to the reboot.

Doom Eternal isn't even the best Doom on the PS4. It's a good game, don't get me wrong, but when playing Doom I just want to shoot stuff in the face with a shotgun and mix things up with the chainsaw every now and then. Might pick up the DLC at some point, but Doom Eternal left me cold at times.

It's way, way better than I expected. Probably has more post game content than Anthem.

Sony's management of its storefront is appalling. Has been from day 1. It has a control freak like approach to its store where it's the one approaching developers / publishers with plans to discount their games, not the other way round. Sure the other way round takes more work if you wish to retain control, but why can't publishers control the price of their products themselves? It's just another part of Sony's business approach that needs changing.

@ankehuber it probably isn't just you, but actually it's the opposite. They were showing control center, not gameplay, control center gets you to the gameplay you want quicker. It's a neat feature, and it looks super stylish in it's finished state. All we need now are some State of Plays on the games and we're golden.

@710King pretty certain the European Courts would laugh it out as a defence, because you can't legally sign away your rights and protections under EU law, as Facebook have found out.

@710King if true it violates laws in Sweden, UK and Germany to my knowledge.

It's just straight up awful. This has to be the worst update to a PlayStation console yet. Like, who did they have in the Beta? I literally can't do anything with the network right now either. All my licenses need refreshing and it won't let me do it. Update 8.00 have turned my PS4 into a brick. I'm impressed. Definitely looking forward to buying a PS5 now... Jesus... lol.

@GKO900 yeah the last update prior to this one caused my day 1 PS4 to have crashing fits at random. Obviously it could be coincidental, but it just feels like with every update lately my PS4 struggles some more.

Am I the only one who misses the days of the colourful and creatively different Japanese game covers? There were some utterly brilliant ones in the past. I kinda miss the unique regional flavours to things now.