It’s really hard to understand why Sony keeps insisting on throwing a bunch of money for timed exclusives and collabs.
Invest on Kojipro, their first game being a big budget game, give them the tech and the support. Result? A one game IP and Kojima going straight to Google and then Microsoft to make his next game.
Put a bunch of money on From Software, help them turn into one of the biggest studios in the world. Result? A bit better here, two IPs with future potential, but now they are dancing with MS and Elden Ring’s marketing is exclusive to Xbox. Odds they will do another exclusive with PlayStation? Very low.
Throw a ton of money at Square Enix, which has been going on since the Squaresoft days, get a few timed exclusives because they keep having financial problems. Result? As seen in the past, as soon as they are financially healthy again, thanks Sony, they resume their multiplatform strategy.
Go out there and throw a bunch of money at Bethesda for a couple of times exclusives. Result? Who cares exclusives and then MS comes around and buys the whole op.
Do a deal for Fall Guys, becomes a world wide sensation. Result? Epic buys the dev.
Multiple games with Quantic Dream? Bought by some Chinese company.
Ready at Dawn? Bought by Facebook.
I’m already foreshadowing that Bluepoint will be acquired by some other publisher. Why be stuck in a contract loop with Sony, one bad game that is a financial failure and it’s over.
Jim Ryan can talk all the shit he wants but fact is Sony WWS volume output slowed down last gen. It’s one to two games from their biggest studios, depending on the studio, and I don’t think this is going to get any better unless they compromise on the scale of the projects.
The industry is getting bigger not smaller, and it feels like Sony is waiting for some sort of downturn to invest in a time that is not, according to Jim Ryan, a “sellers market”. Well duh, what did you expect? Yeah keep waiting...
It’s unfortunate that PlayStation keeps being used as a piggy bank for the rest of Sony, and sooner or later that’s going to bite them hard.