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[ksdixon]

Conversations on this seem to be split up amongst different threads. Who should MS buy next? Where should Sony make improvements? How would you run Company X? That sort of thing. Let's hear you guys/gals, from any time period of gaming history. Concept mock-up images welcome too.

I'll start with Sony. Overall, I'm not best pleased with Jim Ryan's decisions, as they have unfolded thus far. Some of the business related quotes he comes out with are non-sensical. They seem far too focused on too many other things, like using game IP for tv and movies by Sony Pictures, instead of retaining games library/developer relationships that the PS brand's integrity hinges-upon. In short, instead of putting their best foot forward in the games division, they seem to be making the wrong moves/purposely being uncompetative or incompetent.

A quick list of the things I'd do if I were Armchair CEO of Sony...

PlayStation... Xperia Portable?

• L2/R2/L3/R3 buttons included. This allows for 1:1 input for remote playing PS4/PS5 games.
• Granted, we have PS Remote Play app on laptops, and phones, but who really wants to carry a controller and a controller clip alongside their smartphone? There's still a market for a handheld device, I think, so long as it's form factor is comfortable, stylish, and has all the needed buttons.
• Allow it to work over mobile data/not just the same wifi network as console. Use a standard, non overpriced storage medium. Basically, just don't kneecap the thing right before the race begins.
• Like Vita, and new PS App, allow it to voice chat with players online on PS4/5.
• You could even experiment, if you didn't want it as a dedicated handheld. Why not go further and make it a custom housing shell to fit a Sony Xperia phone? Something like an ipega controller, perhaps?

You Are Not E... for the Sony Nostalgia

• Manufactor the consoles/PS5 side plates in 3 main colors: black, white, and PlayStation 1 Grey. (Plus any game-related special editions!)
• Whitelist all the PSVita games to work on PSTV, or be emulated on PS5 inside a PSVita container. Give minor tweaks to game code to use DualSense touchpad instead of Vita's back touchpad. Essentially, give more Vita stuff like Uncharted Golden Abyss the 'Tearaway Unfolded' or 'Ass Creed Remastered HD' treatment.
• Unlock the PS2/PSP emulator that exists on PS4. I, personally, don't need old games to be suped-up with new trophies or even have any framerate/graphics updates, but it'd sure be nice, considering what MS are doing with their "enhanced for Series X" lineup as free updates. Heck, we don't even have the option of re-buying older games from the PStore to have them together on one console.
• Somewhat related to the last bulletpoint, let's revamp PSNow to have downloadability on every game on the service. You got the higher games count, but almost no one talks about PSNow in the same breath as the weaker Game Pass, and I think it's the streaming-only issue for some of the games on there. Again, you don't have to go full throttle here, and release your 1st party day 1 on PSNow, but it'd be nice to download a vastly wider selection of PS1,2,3 games via PSNow, if that was the only way to achieve a larger scale backwards compatability suit.
• You could market these as big events. "Coming this week to PSNow, here's the backlog of some old game series. Here's a new PS5 game that is gameplay identical to the old series, and here's another PS5 game where we've used to IP, but tried to modernize/genre-shift it." Let customers speak with their wallets, and go from there. You could very well end-up with a new life-line of a game series, alternating the traditional gameplay style and the modernized gameplay style, giving each game a 2 year development cycle. Think Sonic Mania vs Sonic 3D, for example; or XCOM Enemy Unknown vs The Beuro: XCOM Declassified.

Random Points

• Split single player story games from their multiplayer modes, so MP doesn't impact on single player development and vice-versa. But then have your MP as standalone games, propped-up on purchaseable consmetics and customizations, seasons of new dlc contents (look at Fortnight or R6 Seige), forward-porting levels and maps from older games (L4D maps into L4D2, or old COD zombies levels into COD BLOPS 3 Zombie Chronicles DLC), and embrace live-service style delivery without the more insidious side of it. This way, Sony could potentially charge for two games, but not over expose an IP because the ongoing TLOU Factions, Warhawk, Starhawk, Killzone, SOCOM MP focused games aren't being hamstrung by the development timeframes of the single player story campaigns, or timing of sequels (gotta kill this MP to make people buy the next one, like Sports games).
• PS5 dashboard needs folders and themes back. Needs more customizability to hide some things and bring others more into the forefront. I really see no reason why they had to go back to almost step 1 with PS5.
• I'd shore-up certain game development houses (Bluepoint, HouseMarquee, Quantic Dream, SuperMassive Games), then go shopping (Capcom, Konami, SEGA, SquareEnix, WarnerMedia Games... should they go back on sale). On the media side of things too (MGM, ViacomCBS, CrunchyRoll & Kadokawa Corp (more anime and FROMSOFTWARE), WarnerMedia... should they go back on sale)
• Most importantly, anyone I could aqquire, their IP would be put to work across all facets of Sony/PS. PStore or PSNow form of re-purchaseable/subscribe-able backwards compatability. New single player/mp games. Anime/Films/TV based-upon them, even if simply sold-off to the highest streaming bidder like Netflix/HULU/Amazon. They don't neccesarilly have to make their own streaming competitor. I do need to read-more about whatever that Bravia Core XR thing is though. I would qualify this as saying that non-gaming expanses would be once franchises are re-established again.

Well, i'm tired from all that typing. I'm interested to see which companies you guys Armchair CEO, and how your opinions all differ from each other

 

[x@3f*oo_e!]

You might want to check your formatting - so people not using dark mode can see anything.

Unless that was intentional.

 

[The Shift]

Manufacture the consoles/PS5 side plates in 3 main colors: black, white, and PlayStation 1 Grey.

 

[wipeout364]

Xperia Portable? Really, that’s the first thing on your list, maybe they should get back in the tablet and laptop business as well. Sony has had it’s ass handed to them in those markets hence why they are no longer in the tablet and laptop market and why they will likely be leaving the cell phone market in the next couple of years( if you can even say they are still in it).

Also most of your post is not visible.

 

[Graciaus]

Sony - Produce more ps5 systems so people can actually buy them. Then keep doing what they have been since it's successful. Stop censoring games.

MS - Need to focus on 1st party must play games. Their biggest ips are nothing compared to what they were.

 

[Aion002]

Sony:

On Japan:

Make a Bloodborne patch for the PS5. (Easy)

Make a JRPG studio. (Doable)

Buy Square-Enix and Koei.... Heck, Capcom too. (Dream?)

Worldwide:

Make PS Now available worldwide. Streaming is just a plus, not the focus. (Easy)

Make all PS1 and PS2 games that they own available on PS Now (games like Syphon Filther, Legend of Legaia, Twisted Metal, Rogue Galaxy and so on) as fixed titles. (Easy)

Buy Blue Point and Housemarque. (Possible)

Save... I mean, buy CD Projekt ( )

 

[Unknown?]

How are they focusing too much in other areas when they had their best launch lineup(not counting handhelds) and looking to have a first year on par with PS2? If things get delayed, it will only be bested by PS2's legendary first year.

My suggestion is just purchase a few more studios that they have great partnerships with now.

 

[LisaMariaMartin]

People who suggest Sony buying Square or Capcom are smoking crack. Square and Capcom are only successful because they are multiplatform and Sony doesn't have the stamina to bleed money while they restructure them to be PS only.

 

[TLZ]

I already know what Heimdall_Xtreme is going to do

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I already know what Heimdall_Xtreme is going to do

can you tell me what im gonna say it?

 

[TLZ]

can you tell what im gonna say it?

Feed Jim to the sharks and embrace Japan

 

[Shanomatic]

I’ll focus on Microsoft, since there seems to be a lot of good discussion regarding Sony already.

Truthfully, this gen for MS should be all about restoring consumer confidence. I think many people either forget or downplay just how much of a pariah they became following the Xbox One reveal; they were an industry punching bag, with only the token few really caring to defend them. By and large, I think initiatives such as backwards comparability and Gamepass as well as time has more or less assuaged that particular blunder, however they are still left with another rather harmful characterization: that Xbox has no games, and more damningly that they never will.

Whether you agree with that sentiment or not, it’s undeniable that it does exist, even in the face of rapid acquisitions and a few notable titles being released last year. However, I wouldn’t call their output particularly AAA; they certainly had quality releases, but comparing Battletoads and Wasteland 3 to Ghosts of Tsushima and The Last of Us 2 isn’t really fair when looking at their critical and commercial success.

Even with big purchases such as Zenimax, theres still that nagging fear in the back of people’s heads that Microsoft is simply incapable of managing studios, and so their output will take a sharp decline.I think it’s fair to say that such discussions wouldn’t be had if Sony had made the purchase.

They need to prove they can use what they’ve gained effectively, to put out some real heavy hitters than can be deemed must-have titles.

Microsoft is in a very good position to take advantage of the rapid consolidation of the industry that’s occurring, as well as the move towards subscription based gaming, but they need to walk before they can begin to run. If they can just start putting out a few GotY contenders over the coming years, they will be well on their way on recapturing the market share they had with the One.

Beyond games, keep pressing into the things that make Xbox fans excited. I’ve parused Internet forums and discussion boards for years now, and most of that time it seemed just depressing to be a big fan of Xbox; they just couldn’t seem to do anything right. Gamepass and acquisitions has really breathed some new life into the community from what I’ve seen, and they finally have things to be excited and passionate about.

The Xbox 360 and PS3 generation proved that Sony, despite their enviable position as market leader, isn’t infallible. The competition between Sony and Microsoft has been very close, and can be again this generation if Xbox can perform.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Feed Jim to the sharks and embrace Japan

Of course!!!

And Still praise my Gravity queen

 

[GametimeUK]

I didn't read the OP on how to format my post or what the meaning of the thread is, but I'm a CEO so fuck it.

I'm armchair CEO at Nintendo.

I've sorted the online service out. Friend list, party chat, seamless game invites baked into the UI.

Oh by the way, virtual console has returned. You have to pay to download games you've already purchased, but you're Nintendo fans so you're going to do it anyway. GameCube games have now joined the Virtual Console line up. Woohoo. Doing a run of wavebirds to promote the GameCube VC.

We now let content creators use our games to create video content. Smash tournaments are fine by any means necessary. If we need to stream during the pandemic then so be it.

Laughed at Microsoft.

Switch 2 is very much a thing and backwards compatible with previous games. Patches available to upgrade Nintendo first party games for higher resolutions and framerates.

Working with AM2R to bring the game to Switch.

Finally I'm going to bring F Zero back. We are going to push the marketing using content creators.

Lastly I have greenlit a Paper Mario game that returns back to the series roots.

GametimeUK does what Nintendont

 

[EverydayBeast]

Mobile gaming is an experiment to SONY they’re trying to win game of the years not putting phones to your ears.

 

[ksdixon]

You might want to check your formatting - so people not using dark mode can see anything.

Unless that was intentional.

Not intentional, I think I've fixed it now

 

[ksdixon]

Hopefully people can read OP now?

The recent "sky is falling" news about Sony is even more dier than we thought back in Jan, it's crazy. How people feeling about Sony now?

Any company, dashboard changes, policy/subscription changes etc, I'm just interested in how people would run their chosen companies. And again, this thread goes for MS, or anyone else too.

 

[nerdface]

Oh, was thinking this was some kind of CEO sim game. With the right humor, it could be fun.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

Your list seems pretty fair, no out there fanboy wishful thinking... Yet it seems that especially the points that regard Sony's legacy are not about to go through.

PS5 dashboard needs folders and themes back.

Those folders, I didn't even notice the themes/etc.

let's revamp PSNow to have downloadability on every game on the service.

Yup

wider selection of PS1,2,3 games via PSNow, if that was the only way to achieve a larger scale backwards compatability suit.

Also, they should be purchasable like the PS Classics were on the PS3/Vita/PSP, actually they should let you download the old PS1 games you already have--with an emulator that gives you the choice between the enhanced (DuckStation type enhancements) and the original version for the connoisseurs. Obviously we don't expect all games to be there day 1, but start somewhere... Especially for the PS2/3 era.

Manufactor the consoles/PS5 side plates in 3 main colors: black, white, and PlayStation 1 Grey.

Just don't sue people who want to make third party plates, I want full real stainless steel plates! That would be good enough.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

The recent "sky is falling" news about Sony is even more dier than we thought back in Jan, it's crazy. How people feeling about Sony now?

Pretty good, the annoyances are mostly fruit flies like made up issues, they can improve in manners that are realistic to expect? yes, 100%... Still better than us asking to pay more for our paywall to play f2p titles online.

 

[ksdixon]

I think most of my opening points still stand. Some have come to pass (BluePoint, PS5 faceplates.. though the official ones are complete ass). Just wondering what people think these days, given the MS-AB buyout news.

Though I personally don't care much for SE, I still think they're an important get for Sony in terms of bringing characters/IPs back under the PS umbrella (FF, TR etc), especially now given MS owns Crash/Spyro. I'm also fairly certain Sony would want to bring whatever gci film aspirations SE has with, say, FF closer into the Sony fold, any film/game technology engines like that luminous engine they were working-on for years etc.

I'd like SEGA, but I think Sony's smart money aside from SE is in if they can buyout Capcom for a few reasons. Characters from MH, RE, DC, Capcom itself all become PS-owned, Sony can easierly navigate Marvel VS Capcom roster liscense issues as they own all the Sony/Capcom characters and have an "in" with Marvel too. If Sony also go and grab WarnerMedia's game studios (I'm mostly talking about NetherRealm Studios to be fair here), they can start playing with IPs.... MK vs SF?.... DC vs Marvel? MVC4?....