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[Hypereides]

There's so much irony in this given how one of the questions posed at the recent webcast was, roughly, "how will you protect the value of the PS5". "At least one tentpole game" per year doesn't exactly add a great amount of value nor inspire a lot of confidence.

I'd be satisfied if Sony's output was 2 tentpole games a year with 3-4 smaller AA games sprinkled in between. With how inflated development costs are, maybe I'm being unreasonable. Regardless, I think Sony neglects or doesn't see the value in investing into smaller scaled AA games like it used to (Ico, Patapon, Gravity Rush, etc).

This would be a greater re-adjustment compared to what they do now. I'd support an initiative like this.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

2026 - The Last Of Us: Part I Remaster
2027 - The Last Of Us: Part II Ultimate Director's Cut
2028 - The Last Of Us: Part I Redux
2027 - The Last Of Us: Part II Hyper Ultimate Director's Cut Remaster

 

[Astray]

An accurate list of tentpole single-player games developed and published by PS (as per the definition Herman used) would be:

2020: The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Demon Souls, Spider-Man: Miles Morales
2021: Ratchet and Clank, Returnal
2022: God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, The Last of Us Part 1
2023: Spider-Man 2
2024: Astro Bot
2025: Ghost of Yotei
2026: Saros

I'll include remakes because there is actual effort involved in something like that, remasters are not worth including. 2023-2026 looks miserable to the years before. 4 internal titles in 4 years.

Astro Bot was not a tentpole game for them. That was the year they said they would not have any tent pole AAA games.

 

[Perrott]

There are companies that haven't had a Game-of-the-Year-quality title in over a decade, so one or more of those kind of games a year is enough -- in addition to your live-service offerings, re-releases of all kinds, and lower budget variety titles.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

2001.

People want fully polygonal nostril hairs and ray traced teeth reflections on characters now.

Game development is completely different compared to then.

Some utter bangers in that pic though.

 

[Danjin44]

My personal core issue with current Sony is they no longer have the studio to make the games I care about.

I don't care about Sony western games but that's 90% of their output. So they can make 1 game each year or 10, at this point it won't make much difference to me.

At first I want Sony get some Japanese studio to make me first party JRPGs but the way Sony treating their studios I'm not sure I even want that anymore …I don't want my favourite Japanese studio get shutdown just because it doesn't meet Sony expectations when comes to sales numbers.

 

[Hookshot]

Time to rename Sony fans as "GAY" as they only get 1 Game A Year.

 

[Markio128]

This thread is hilarious. The title states they will release 'at least one' tentpole game a year. Then the comments continue with 'just one game a year!?' In the same year that DS2 and GOY are being released.

 

[Critical Hit]

• 2020: The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima
• 2021: Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart, Returnal
• 2022: Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok
• 2023: Spider-Man 2
• 2024: Astro-Bot
• 2025: Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei

• 2020: sequel, original
• 2021: "sequel", original
• 2022: sequel, sequel
• 2023: sequel
• 2024: original
• 2025: sequel, sequel

So, it works only if you like all first games and want more.

 

[veterangamerUK]

Tentpole?

To describe Sony fan's bulge when a first party game is announced

 

[FMX]

I don't get you all. Those games cost money. Spiderman 2 sold half what the original Spiderman sold and cost way more to make. Then on top of that Marvel gets their cut. It's called business. They can't bankrupt the company if the return on investment isn't there. Nothing wrong with smaller games and 1 big game and year. But that 1 big game better be a hit. What they need to do is create their own playstation pc game store/launcher and cut out Steam. Their games are popular enough for it to be successful.

 

[Three]

Relax, I'm simply stating that PS internal studio output has dropped compared to the good start to the generation (despite them actually having more studios). I'm not stating there are not other great games from external developers on the PS5 to play which Sony has published.

I'm not sure what's giving you the impression I'm not relaxed, I'm just disagreeing with your premise that's all. 2021 was the start and I'm saying such a pattern doesn't exist because both Returnal and Demon's souls were from external studios. so 2021 would end up with just Ratchet meaning the pattern wasn't that different even at the start of the gen. 2021 was the start. If Sony were to acquire Shift Up in the future it doesn't retroactively change their 2024 output. They've had studios close and acquired others.

 

[The artful mincer]

2001.

Dumbest Post of the thread and that's saying something.

There's only what 3 first party games in that picture

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Meanwhile, Nintendo has already published Mario Kart this year, and has Donkey Kong, Metroid Prime 4, Pokémon Legends, Kirby Air Riders, Hyrule Warriors, among other games scheduled for release.

And Microsoft has a list of 12 games it will publish this year. Some of them have already come out, obviously, since we are only halfway through the year.

Just saying nonsense

Fixed your post.

I wont even bother to elaborate on the joke of Metroid 4 (the game announced for last gen), the even bigger joke of Pokemon with PS1 graphics and a mousou as "tentpole"

Not defending Sony or the dutch surfer, but MS and Nintendo are not exemplary at all, to say the least.

 

[Ar¢tos]

22 Studios, 1 game per year.. Even if 5 studios make non SP games, does that mean games now take 17 years to make?

 

[Liopleurodon]

Dumbest Post of the thread and that's saying something.

There's only what 3 first party games in that picture

I hate criticism!

 

[dDoc]

Spiderman 2 sold half what the original Spiderman sold and cost way more to make.

And what do you reckon are the reasons why it sold less than than the original? (besides the first game being longer on the market)

 

[Ar¢tos]

On the positive side, the fewer 1st party games they release, the less ugly female characters we will have.

 

[mdkirby]

Fire all Sony leadership.
One big game a year is catastrophically bad.
I'm a Sony fan, and haven't booked up my xbox in months, but it feels like they've done half a dozen now first party games in just the last few months. All "free with gamespass", Sony need to pull their head out their arses, get back to actually making and releasing games, and buy a load of studios that can actually make and SHIP games, as they're gonna be increasingly left in the dust as MS starts firing on all cylinders after all their acquisitions.

 

[Cakeboxer]

• 2020: sequel, original
• 2021: "sequel", original
• 2022: sequel, sequel
• 2023: sequel
• 2024: original
• 2025: sequel, sequel

So, it works only if you like all first games and want more.

Don't you forget the great Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, so it's also a sequel.

 

[kruis]

I dunno, man. That list kind of crystalizes how dull Sony's output has gotten. I do agree that they need to supplement it with smaller stuff that experiments with a broader range of genres and that feels a bit more focused than the "one-size-fits-all" approach that most of their 1p games have taken for the last decade.

Compare Sony's yearly output with Nintendo's or Microsoft's, it's absolutely pathetic how few games Sony releases, how boring they've become. Just imagine what could have been if Sony had got their priorities right and instead of wasting 3.5 billion dollars on those Bungie hasbeens, they would have spent a quarter of that amount on smaller, inventive, cheaper to make AA games.

 

[Orbital2060]

You cant really blame Sony for any of this. Well, not innovating and not focussing on singleplayer games is their own fault, but its Microsoft that bought al lot of the games that Sony usually had some dominion over with their market position. Sony has never really had that many 1p games going, they have just dominated the market so much that a lot 3p has worked as a kind of pseudo 1p for the company. All that is out the door now, and they have made some really bad decisions with the focus on GAAS games.

 

[Elios83]

This thread is hilarious. The title states they will release 'at least one' tentpole game a year. Then the comments continue with 'just one game a year!?' In the same year that DS2 and GOY are being released.

When haters have nothing else to cling to
It's at least one tentpole AAA single player game, which not only is "at least" (this year we'll get two for example), but it doesn't include smaller games, online and multiplayer titles as well.
Playstation has never been a first party console like Nintendo, they have made their name on being the console where you can play all third party games.
They also have deals with third parties and co-develop games with external developers.
And it's not like on PS4 they released 4 big AAA single player games every year as well they don't have 40 studios.

Personally I think that two big first party games every year is the ideal outcome to not create cannibalization with other titles and give the proper spotlight to each title.

Fire all Sony leadership.
One big game a year is catastrophically bad.
I'm a Sony fan, and haven't booked up my xbox in months, but it feels like they've done half a dozen now first party games in just the last few months. All "free with gamespass", Sony need to pull their head out their arses, get back to actually making and releasing games, and buy a load of studios that can actually make and SHIP games, as they're gonna be increasingly left in the dust as MS starts firing on all cylinders after all their acquisitions.

Microsoft is a Playstation publisher, the more games they release the more Playstation benefits in the lineup they're offering to Playstation users. It's something some people still can't accept and/or realize.
They're also not going to buy publishers and make the games exclusives, buying a publisher has huge risks as well if the acquisition doesn't deliver. And it's not like many of the acquisitions Microsoft made delivered.

 

[Sevyne]

 

[L*][*N*K]

>inb4 the thread turns into this:

Exactly, he said at least one per year and you will argue one per month, it comes with your Sony Cultist membership card.

 

[Punished Miku]

Wolverine 2026
Intergalactic 2027
Barlog 2028
Horizon 3 2029
X-Men 2030
The Last of Us 3 2031
Spider Man 3 2032
God of War Egypt 2033

 

[Orbital2060]

When haters have nothing else to cling to
It's at least one tentpole AAA single player game, which not only is "at least" (this year we'll get two for example), but it doesn't include smaller games, online and multiplayer titles as well.
Playstation has never been a first party console like Nintendo, they have made their name on being the console where you can play all third party games.
They also to deals with third parties and co-develop games with external developers.
And it's not like on PS4 they released 4 big AAA single player games every year as well they don't have 40 studios.

Personally I think that two big first party games every year is the ideal outcome to not create cannibalization with other titles and give the proper spotlight to each title.



Microsoft is a Playstation publisher, the more games they release the more Playstation benefits in the lineup they're offering to Playstation users. It's something some people still can't accept and/or realize.
They're also not going to buy publishers and make the games exclusives, buying a publisher has huge risks as well if the acquisition doesn't deliver. And it's not like many of the acquisitions Microsoft made delivered.

There will most likely be a bunch of moneyhatted 3p games to shore up the deficit on their first party output.

 

[Shubh_C63]

This is nothing new, they had been shipping one AAA blockbuster game every year except the Bronze-Concord era of Sony, which they seems to be learning fast.

And guys, it says 'atleast one', not one.

 

[cireza]

 

[KungFucius]

Eh, they have consistently delivered at least one (and usually more) big single player game every year in the last five:

• 2020: The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima
• 2021: Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart, Returnal
• 2022: Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok
• 2023: Spider-Man 2
• 2024: Astro-Bot
• 2025: Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei

They did fuck up 2023 and 2024 in terms of "tentpoles" (though 2024 still has a lot of cool smaller stuff), but otherwise they have been reasonably consistent.

Returnal is not a tentpole and Death Stranding is not Sony Produced. They do one.

 

[Elios83]

There will most likely be a bunch of moneyhatted 3p games to shore up the deficit on their first party output.

I see more co-developed and co-published games with external publishers, things like Marvel Tokon, Stellar Blade, Nioh, Rise of the Ronin rather than traditional money hats.
They have already stated they're trying to step up collaborations with From Software and Bandai Namco for example.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

This is nothing new, they had been shipping one AAA blockbuster game every year except the Bronze-Concord era of Sony, which they seems to be learning fast.

And guys, it says 'atleast one', not one.

People here are not arguing with Hulst, they are arguing with the voices in their head.

Especially since best-selling unit-wise concoly by Sony, PS2, was basically a 3rd/2nd party machine with very few big games from Sony themselves.

 

[Unknown?]

Meanwhile, Nintendo has already published Mario Kart this year, and has Donkey Kong, Metroid Prime 4, Pokémon Legends, Kirby Air Riders, Hyrule Warriors, among other games scheduled for release.

And Microsoft has a list of 12 games it will publish this year. Some of them have already come out, obviously, since we are only halfway through the year.

Just saying.

Oh cool they put out a game they delayed for Switch 2 that was meant for Switch 1. Switch 1 never even got a proper Mario Kart game, just a remastered Wii U game. But let's act like Nintendo has great output!

Microsoft bought two large publishers. None of their developers are putting out any faster. Those developers making the 12 games won't have their next ones out for another 5-7 years.

 

[Cakeboxer]

I see more co-developed and co-published games with external publishers, things like Marvel Tokon, Stellar Blade, Nioh, Rise of the Ronin rather than traditional money hats.
They have already stated they're trying to step up collaborations with From Software and Bandai Namco for example.

You are both not wrong. Sony pays with money, manpower or knowledge to secure exclusive rights to 3rd party games. On the positive side, some of those games maybe wouldn't exist without it. So they still moneyhat, but it's not all bad.

 

[dgrdsv]

Will these games be actually interesting or will they be just Horizon sequels and TLOU1/2 remakes though?

 

[FrankWza]

1 tentpole singleplayer game is normal though. Remember it's not just 1 singleplayer game per year. It's 1 tentpole singleplayer game and this wouldn't be too far from what happened during PS4. They have never had enough studios to be outputting several tenpole games a year, ever.
Its always been 1 or 2 tentpole from one of their studios and a few smaller games with partners. 2024 was Astrobot but you still had Stellar Blade, Rise of the ronin, UD, and Lego Horizon for example.

I don't think people know what tentpole means

Apparently people can't read.

At least one "tentpole" single player game. Does not mean one game a year.

Don't let that get in the way of a good narrative being spun

 

[Horseganador]

Sony should have at least two AAA annual titles of its own + some agreement with a third party, this year it will be Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei, next year it will be Saros and Wolverine I suppose.

 

[TGO]

I don't get you all. Those games cost money. Spiderman 2 sold half what the original Spiderman sold and cost way more to make. Then on top of that Marvel gets their cut. It's called business. They can't bankrupt the company if the return on investment isn't there. Nothing wrong with smaller games and 1 big game and year. But that 1 big game better be a hit. What they need to do is create their own playstation pc game store/launcher and cut out Steam. Their games are popular enough for it to be successful.

All games cost money to make, it's called a business.
You spend money to make money.
And I find it funny your answer is to make an independent PC store front.
Was you working with Sony the last 4 years?
I suppose you also think they should invest in GaaS

 

[DragonNCM]

If you take away the games that you can still play on PS4, it just looks bad.

2020:
2021: Ratchet and Clank, Returnal
2022:
2023:
2024: Astro Bot
2025: Ghost of Yotei
2026: Saros

 

[dgrdsv]

next year it will be Saros and Wolverine I suppose

Both are 1st party.

 

[Bernardougf]

I suppose. it's not exactly the next GoW, Uncharted, or whatever but it was their biggest Playstation Studio published game that won the GOTY awards that year.

And this, at least for me, shows how fucked up their pipeline is..

And I LOVE platforming and loved astrobot.

 

[Ar¢tos]

Will these games be actually interesting or will they be just Horizon sequels and TLOU1/2 remakes though?

Of course not!
They will be Horizon remakes and TLOU sequels.

 

[Negotiator101]

This guy is a complete buffoon, like this is some sort of selling point then you have the lemmings here listing games from a previous generation

 

[Abysse]

It won't make any difference to the casual masses, who will continue to buy the console and its "stupid accessories" and subscribe to the lousy service called PS Plus. Sony might as well not release any games and concentrate on the PS6 from now on.

 

[Msamy]

Just fuck him.

 

[Miles708]

Sorry for asking this but what on earth is a tentpole game?

 

[dottme]

So basically, let the 3rd parties release the game and don't do any effort.
There's really a need to find a way to make the game industry more productive with shorter development cycles. It's really risky to risk a full division on one game. And there will be some damage when there is a miss fire.

 

[Hudo]

Sorry for asking this but what on earth is a tentpole game?

"AAAA" stuff like Intergalactic or Wolverine.

 

[Killer8]

PlayStation Published Releases (PS4 and PS5, 2013–2025)


2014
• Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch Productions) – Action-adventure open-world game, a PS4 launch window title with stunning visuals.
• Infamous: First Light (Sucker Punch Productions) – Standalone expansion to Second Son, focusing on the character Fetch.
• Driveclub (Evolution Studios) – Racing game, delayed from launch, faced online issues but later praised.
• LittleBigPlanet 3 (Sumo Digital, published by Sony) – Platformer with creative tools, also released on PS3.

2015
• The Order: 1886 (Ready at Dawn) – Narrative-driven action game, visually impressive but criticized for length.
• Bloodborne (FromSoftware, published by Sony) – Critically acclaimed action RPG, a PS4 exclusive.
• Until Dawn (Supermassive Games, published by Sony) – Interactive horror game, established Supermassive's narrative style.
• Tearaway Unfolded (Media Molecule) – Expanded PS4 version of the PS Vita game, a creative platformer.

2016
• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog) – Action-adventure masterpiece, a pinnacle of PS4 storytelling.
• Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games) – Reimagined remake of the original, tied to the animated film.
• The Last Guardian (Japan Studio) – Long-awaited puzzle-platformer, a spiritual successor to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.

2017
• Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games) – Open-world action RPG, launched a major new IP for Sony.
• Knack 2 (Japan Studio) – Improved sequel to Knack, added co-op, better received than the original.
• Gravity Rush 2 (Japan Studio) – Action-adventure sequel, expanded the unique gravity-based gameplay from PS Vita.
• Nioh (Team Ninja, published by Sony) – Souls-like action RPG, initially a PS4 exclusive in the West.

2018
• God of War (Santa Monica Studio) – Soft reboot of the series, a critically acclaimed action-adventure epic.
• Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games) – Open-world superhero game, one of Sony's biggest hits.
• Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream, published by Sony) – Narrative-driven interactive drama, exclusive to PS4.

2019
• Days Gone (Bend Studio) – Open-world zombie survival game, divisive but gained a cult following.
• Death Stranding (Kojima Productions, published by Sony) – Unique open-world adventure, later ported to PC.
• MediEvil (Other Ocean Interactive, published by Sony) – Remake of the PS1 classic, a lighthearted action-adventure.

2020
• Dreams (Media Molecule) – Creative sandbox game, allowing players to build their own games and experiences.
• The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog) – Highly acclaimed but polarizing sequel, a narrative-driven action game.
• Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions) – Open-world samurai epic, one of the PS4's final major exclusives.
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games) – PS4/PS5 cross-gen standalone expansion, a launch title for PS5.
• Astro's Playroom (Japan Studio) – Free PS5 pack-in game, a 3D platformer showcasing the DualSense controller.
• Demon's Souls (Bluepoint Games) – PS5 launch title, a remake of the 2009 PS3 classic.
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure (Sumo Digital) – PS4/PS5 cross-gen 3D platformer, a spin-off from LittleBigPlanet.

2021
• Returnal (Housemarque) – PS5 exclusive roguelike shooter, critically acclaimed for its difficulty and atmosphere.
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games) – PS5 exclusive, showcased next-gen SSD and DualSense features.
• Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut (Sucker Punch Productions) – Enhanced PS4/PS5 version with the Iki Island expansion.

2022
• Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games) – PS4/PS5 cross-gen sequel, expanded the open-world RPG formula.
• Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital) – PS4/PS5 cross-gen racing simulator, celebrated for its realism.
• God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio) – PS4/PS5 cross-gen sequel, a massive action-adventure hit.

2023
• Horizon Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games) – PS5-exclusive DLC for Horizon Forbidden West.
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games) – PS5 exclusive, continued the Spider-Man saga with Venom.
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios) – PS5/PC co-op shooter, a surprise hit despite not being a traditional exclusive.

2024
• Rise of the Ronin (Team Ninja, published by Sony) – PS5 action RPG set in feudal Japan.
• Stellar Blade (Shift Up, published by Sony) – PS5 action game, a new IP with hack-and-slash combat.
• Lego Horizon Adventures (Guerrilla Games/Studio Gobo) – PS5/PC family-friendly spin-off of Horizon.
• Astro Bot (Team Asobi) – PS5 3D platformer, a full-fledged follow-up to Astro's Playroom, highly praised.

2025 (Up to June 15)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions, published by Sony) – PS5 exclusive, sequel to the 2019 game.
• Ghost of Yotei (Sucker Punch Productions) – PS5 exclusive, sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, announced for 2025.
• Marathon (Bungie) – PS5/PC sci-fi shooter, Sony's first-party live-service title.

They also released The Last of Us Part I remake in 2022 and Horizon: Call of the Mountain for PSVR2 in 2023. Gran Turismo Sport is also missing from PS4 in 2017.

Nothing really meaningful has changed in 10 years in my opinion. In fact i'd go as far as to say that outside of the Concord disaster (I see it wasn't included in 2024) the quality has been more consistent. They had some really trashy years during the PS4 era like 2014 and 2019. We're getting GOTY contenders like Astro Bot now versus pure dogshit like the Knack series. And Gran Turismo 7 was the first proper GT game in almost ten years.

Functionally speaking, some of the games in this list, like Nioh, are still with PlayStation - only the name of the publisher on the box has changed from Sony to Koei Tecmo. Nioh 3 is coming out early 2026 only for PS5 and PC (which isn't exactly an alien platform now in Sony's strategy).

Add on Saros, Marvel Tokon, and either Intergalactic or Wolverine, and 2026 doesn't look that different from any other year. I'd also commend Sony for having an actually decent PS5 launch lineup compared to their competition.

 

[nial]

• Nioh (Team Ninja, published by Sony) – Souls-like action RPG, initially a PS4 exclusive in the West.

This is published by Koei Tecmo.

Astro Bot was not a tentpole game for them. That was the year they said they would not have any tent pole AAA games.

It was, look at the pic below.

Returnal is not a tentpole and Death Stranding is not Sony Produced. They do one.

Death Stranding 2 literally is Sony produced and they count it, look at the pic above.

Exactly, he said at least one per year and you will argue one per month, it comes with your Sony Cultist membership card.

Being annoying is not a virtue.