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[Bryank75]

From what I understood, any purchaser is acquiring the studios - assets and personnel who wish to keep their employment there - not the IPs.

So if I were Sony I wouldn't respond to that - that model doesn't work.

EDIT: Actually Sony would be better off trying to purchase/license the IPs from WB. I'd love to see a Sony Batman exclusive...

MS would likely try and secure the IP's....
I think the aggressive expansion is already to not answer back.

 

[Apollo Helios]

Available in PS Plus Premium

Why are you always such a dick? Plus became paid yeah but nothing apart from that has been added that was an extra in terms of payment to their original service. Original service evolved and enhanced but the added features are not priced, it is part of their offering as service.

 

[SlimySnake]

it would be hilarious if MS buys the studios and Sony swoops in to get the IPs.

Then MS would be making exclusives for Sony lol.

or vice versa. i dont want to upset anyone.

 

[Bryank75]

it would be hilarious if MS buys the studios and Sony swoops in to get the IPs.

Then MS would be making exclusives for Sony lol.

or vice versa. i dont want to upset anyone.

What I really wanted to see Sony do was expand into other Marvel characters.... I am dying for a Wolverine game!

They would definitely need to get into the IP bidding war for DC.

 

[Dr Bass]

I'm not sure that's a valid approach considering how wickedly fast this industry is changing.

Letting other companies control your destiny in a space while your competition takes the bull by the horns seems like a losing strategy.

Multiplayer is way more important than it's ever been, and it's only growing.

Wouldn't sales numbers completely contradict this point? Sony is crushing Microsoft with really great single player experiences.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Wouldn't sales numbers completely contradict this point? Sony is crushing Microsoft with really great single player experiences.

Sony is crushing Microsoft for a variety of reasons. Not sure doing what they've always done is wise in a rapidly changing industry.

 

[Bryank75]

Sony is crushing Microsoft for a variety of reasons. Not sure doing what they've always done is wise in a rapidly changing industry.

But that is precisely why I buy PlayStation and many others.... they dependably provide great single player experiences that are very memorable.

I agree they should expand but I think they really need high quality studios in very targeted areas...niches.

 

[ZywyPL]

Has this been posted yet?




So fucking good, let's hope Sony will indeed release a fully black model.

Why are you always such a dick? Plus became paid yeah but nothing apart from that has been added that was an extra in terms of payment to their original service. Original service evolved and enhanced but the added features are not priced, it is part of their offering as service.

Given Sony's past half a decade I cannot see them giving away anything just like that, for free. Maybe except for BC but only because the competition already does it. Keep in mind it's all just a business, those companies are here solely to suck up you wallet, and with such dominance Sony has, nothing good comes out of it for us, the consumers.

 

[ToadMan]

Sea of Thieves seems moderately popular.

Moderately, but SoT was released what? 3 years ago on xbox to a meh response.

It's only somewhat popular now once it got to PC - and that was my point. Single platform multiplay exclusives seem like a dead end. Cross-platform multiplayer is becoming normalized. I think next gen it's going to be pretty much standard.

So how can Sony produce a large scale MP game to compete? No matter how great a game they produce, a decent chunk of the market will be out of range... Not to mention that Sony haven't had the greatest success with their multiplayer stuff. Gran Turismo Sport is probably their peak this gen.

So from a risk/investment perspective, better to let the 3rd parties wrestle over that space, do deals to get exclusivity and just focus on the smaller scale stuff.

I imagine TLOU 2 MP will be 4 v 4 maybe 6v6. That's about the scale that will work as a console exclusive.

 

[PropellerEar]

Moderately, but SoT was released what? 3 years ago on xbox to a meh response.

It's only somewhat popular now once it got to PC - and that was my point. Single platform multiplay exclusives seem like a dead end. Cross-platform multiplayer is becoming normalized. I think next gen it's going to be pretty much standard.

So how can Sony produce a large scale MP game to compete? No matter how great a game they produce, a decent chunk of the market will be out of range... Not to mention that Sony haven't had the greatest success with their multiplayer stuff. Gran Turismo Sport is probably their peak this gen.

So from a risk/investment perspective, better to let the 3rd parties wrestle over that space, do deals to get exclusivity and just focus on the smaller scale stuff.

I imagine TLOU 2 MP will be 4 v 4 maybe 6v6. That's about the scale that will work as a console exclusive.

I agree with you.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

But that is precisely why I buy PlayStation and many others.... they dependably provide great single player experiences that are very memorable.

I agree they should expand but I think they really need high quality studios in very targeted areas...niches.

Do you think Sony has a stronger position in the market when it has high quality single player exclusives AS WELL AS high quality multiplayer exclusives?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Moderately, but SoT was released what? 3 years ago on xbox to a meh response.

It's only somewhat popular now once it got to PC - and that was my point. Single platform multiplay exclusives seem like a dead end. Cross-platform multiplayer is becoming normalized. I think next gen it's going to be pretty much standard.

So how can Sony produce a large scale MP game to compete? No matter how great a game they produce, a decent chunk of the market will be out of range... Not to mention that Sony haven't had the greatest success with their multiplayer stuff. Gran Turismo Sport is probably their peak this gen.

So from a risk/investment perspective, better to let the 3rd parties wrestle over that space, do deals to get exclusivity and just focus on the smaller scale stuff.

I imagine TLOU 2 MP will be 4 v 4 maybe 6v6. That's about the scale that will work as a console exclusive.

What changed in the market in the last 20+ years?

Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Halo were all extremely successful multiplayer oriented exclusives that sold systems.

Do you think multiplayer has gotten less important in 2020? Honestly?

 

[ToadMan]

Mario Kart, Goldeneye, Smash Bros, Halo...

That list supports my point exactly.

Mario Kart even on switch is "low level" MP game - 8 players, quick races and done. Goldeneye, 3 gens ago. Smash Bros again on switch not a major time sink but PS would have the equivalent fighting game. These are all MP scale games that Sony can and will produce.

Halo MP hasn't been a scene since the 360 days. This is MS wasting their time and money trying to compete in the market. Halo:Inf might turn it around because it's on about 4 or 5 different platforms - not being an xbox exclusive might be what saves that franchise and 343...

All of these games live in the shadow of the big multiplats these days. Sony could try to compete but I'd say there'd be a 90% chance they'd fail the same way MS has this gen. Sony has dabbled - it did ok with H1Z1 for a while but most other stuff disappeared without a trace.

Even if Sony managed to produce a great game - it'd just get lost in the noise of the multiplats that dominate the segment.

Sure Sony can and should make the smaller scale MP games same as Nintendo - I think the TLOU2 MP will be great. Gran Turismo Sport was a good MP game in the end so hopefully GT7 continues that.

But Sony making a AAA first/third person shooter to compete with CoD, BF or Fortnite but only playable on PS5? It's not worth the risk/investment these days. I'd love to see it sure - but I can understand why Sony are backing away from that sector now.

 

[ToadMan]

What changed in the market in the last 20+ years?

Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Halo were all extremely successful multiplayer oriented exclusives that sold systems.

Do you think multiplayer has gotten less important in 2020? Honestly?

What changed in the last 5 years is what's important now. Not sure why anyone would care about games from 3 or 4 gens ago...

Multiplay and Cross platform play wins the day...

 

[Hobbygaming]

But that is precisely why I buy PlayStation and many others.... they dependably provide great single player experiences that are very memorable.

I agree they should expand but I think they really need high quality studios in very targeted areas...niches.

This is the reason why I'm getting PS5 1st no matter what. I know they will focus on big SP AAA exclusives

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

That list supports my point exactly.

Mario Kart even on switch is "low level" MP game - 8 players, quick races and done. Goldeneye, 3 gens ago. Smash Bros again on switch not a major time sink but PS would have the equivalent fighting game. These are all MP scale games that Sony can and will produce.

Halo MP hasn't been a scene since the 360 days. This is MS wasting their time and money trying to compete in the market. Halo:Inf might turn it around because it's on about 4 or 5 different platforms - not being an xbox exclusive might be what saves that franchise and 343...

All of these games live in the shadow of the big multiplats these days. Sony could try to compete but I'd say there'd be a 90% chance they'd fail the same way MS has this gen. Sony has dabbled - it did ok with H1Z1 for a while but most other stuff disappeared without a trace.

Even if Sony managed to produce a great game - it'd just get lost in the noise of the multiplats that dominate the segment.

Sure Sony can and should make the smaller scale MP games same as Nintendo - I think the TLOU2 MP will be great. Gran Turismo Sport was a good MP game in the end so hopefully GT7 continues that.

But Sony making a AAA first/third person shooter to compete with CoD, BF or Fortnite but only playable on PS5? It's not worth the risk/investment these days. I'd love to see it sure - but I can understand why Sony are backing away from that sector now.

Wait, your concerned with player counts?

 

[Dr Bass]

Sony is crushing Microsoft for a variety of reasons. Not sure doing what they've always done is wise in a rapidly changing industry.

What is this "rapid change" you speak of? Just saying things are going more multiplayer isn't an answer. Big multiplayer games have been around for decades.

The biggest thing that changes with the games industry is the cost of making top tier software, which continually goes up.

What are the biggest console games lately? Uncharted. God of War. Zelda. Last of Us. Horizon. Grand Theft Auto V (yeesh). The Witcher. Animal Crossing. RDR2.

Notice a theme there? Big single player experiences. Same as back in the NES days. If you think the tastes of players is just going to change on a dime, you are in for disappointment. Or just being wrong. People do not change habits and behaviors, pretty much ever. There is always going to be a lot of demand for this. Yes there is huge demand for multiplayer too, but this idea that the industry and tastes are "rapidly changing" is demonstrably false by just looking at sales numbers.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

What is this "rapid change" you speak of? Just saying things are going more multiplayer isn't an answer. Big multiplayer games have been around for decades.

The biggest thing that changes with the games industry is the cost of making top tier software, which continually goes up.

What are the biggest console games lately? Uncharted. God of War. Zelda. Last of Us. Horizon. Grand Theft Auto V (yeesh). The Witcher. Animal Crossing. RDR2.

Notice a theme there? Big single player experiences. Same as back in the NES days. If you think the tastes of players is just going to change on a dime, you are in for disappointment. Or just being wrong. People do not change habits and behaviors, pretty much ever. There is always going to be a lot of demand for this. Yes there is huge demand for multiplayer too, but this idea that the industry and tastes are "rapidly changing" is demonstrably false by just looking at sales numbers.

PUBG sold 60+ million copies on PC/Console. Then it had healthy microtransaction sales. Then there's the whole mobile version too.

Overwatch had 35+ million players in 2017, one year after release. It also had an aggressive MTX model. It's probably done a little more since then.

Rocket League surpassed 40 million players in 2018. It's consistently grown more popular in terms of player count since 2018 according to Stramcharts.

Rainbow Six Siege earned 1.12 Billion according to Ubisoft earlier this year. To put that in context, TLoU2 sold 4 million copies at $60 dollars which earned Sony 240 million. The first time Siege saw a drop in players was in May of 2020. So it's still earning considerably.

Then there's that little indie game called Fortnite which may have broken even by now...

GTAV is essentially a multiplayer focused title at this point. Minecraft is still a monster. As is Roblox, League of Legends etc...

I'm not really seeing single player games being able to compete with that in terms of revenue/sales.

I don't think Sony can look at a supremely talented team like Naughty Dog, which took how many employees 5+ years on TLoU2, and be thrilled with the fact that their games die on the vine so quickly.

The multiplayer, social based gaming revolution is upon us. If Sony is still considered a single player focused company in 3 years, they'll have made a massive mistake.

There is no better marketing mechanic than having your friends talk about playing a multiplayer game in front of you...Sony needs to tap into that.

"Buy a PS5 bro! We could use a fourth."

 

[Bryank75]

Do you think Sony has a stronger position in the market when it has high quality single player exclusives AS WELL AS high quality multiplayer exclusives?

Absolutely but like Sea of Thieves, I think PlayStation can make multiplayer games that are different and fill a niche that currently isn't being served.

Like some were saying above, a Warhawk type game or a 3rd person tactical shooter would fill a need in the market right now.

 

[Hobbygaming]

PUBG sold 60+ million copies on PC/Console. Then it had healthy microtransaction sales. Then there's the whole mobile version too.

Overwatch had 35+ million players in 2017, one year after release. It also had an aggressive MTX model. It's probably done a little more since then.

Rocket League surpassed 40 million players in 2018. It's consistently grown more popular in terms of player count since 2018 according to Stramcharts.

Rainbow Six Siege earned 1.12 Billion according to Ubisoft earlier this year. To put that in context, TLoU2 sold 4 million copies at $60 dollars which earned Sony 240 million. The first time Siege saw a drop in players was in May of 2020. So it's still earning considerably.

Then there's that little indie game called Fortnite which may have broken even by now...

GTAV is essentially a multiplayer focused title at this point. Minecraft is still a monster. As is Roblox, League of Legends etc...

I'm not really seeing single player games being able to compete with that in terms of revenue/sales.

I don't think Sony can look at a supremely talented team like Naughty Dog, which took how many employees 5+ years on TLoU2, and be thrilled with the fact that their games die on the vine so quickly.

The multiplayer, social based gaming revolution is upon us. If Sony is still considered a single player focused company in 3 years, they'll have made a massive mistake.

There is no better marketing mechanic than having your friends talk about playing a multiplayer game in front of you...Sony needs to tap into that.

"Buy a PS5 bro! We could use a fourth."

Single player games ain't going anywhere in 3 years. PlayStation built their reputation and got the mindshare of so many gamers through single player experiences

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Single player games ain't going anywhere in 3 years. PlayStation built their reputation and got the mindshare of so many gamers through single player experiences

No one said they were.

I'm just saying there's a wave here that Sony should probably invest in.

Sony should just spin up two 40 person development studios and have both focus on multiplayer. If one of their games blows up, you pump resources into it ala Fortnite.

 

[Knitted Knight]

I don't think the hardcore Sony audience would receive those games very well. People rarely talk about Destruction All-Stars after the reveal event, and that is very telling. That is a game exactly targeting that demographic you're all discussing.

Anything that's is not a graphical powerhouse,coming from an established studio, built for adults, is getting pushed aside. The only thing with potential imo is TLOU2 factions. Known studio, known output, quality expected, addicting gameplay loop etc. The playstation hardcore are willing to give it a chance, and hype it up. A PUBG type of experience can be made in that world, while still having dedicated modes. Even Factions, compared to the other titles listed is gonna be shackled to Sony's userbase. These type of games benefit A LOT from going to PC for that streamer's community push. Don't think Sony's gonna go there with a ND game. It's one of the reasons Sea of Thieves got a second chance.

There is an expectations aspect here. All those titles listed, (for the enlightened PS base at least) would be considered more or less shovelware if they were announced by a PS studio. Crap for the uneducated masses - cheap - quickly rejected after the first/second trailer, mocked etc... "What the fuck is this?" "Who asked for this?" "What are they doing" "What were they thinking?" "Pass"..

Thought experiment: If Sony Santa Monica came out with that Sea of Thieves trailer back in 2016 or whatever (instead of GOW) we know what the reaction to that would've been. It's what it's.

 

[Hobbygaming]

No one said they were.

I'm just saying there's a wave here that Sony should probably invest in.

Sony should just spin up two 40 person development studios and have both focus on multiplayer. If one of their games blows up, you pump resources into it ala Fortnite.

This might be the thought behind looking into acquiring the Warframe devs they'd get Splash Damage too who has done MP for Gears

 

[Hobbygaming]

I don't think the hardcore Sony audience would receive those games very well. People rarely talk about Destruction All-Stars after the reveal event, and that is very telling. That is a game exactly targeting that demographic you're all discussing.

Anything that's is not a graphical powerhouse,coming from an established studio, built for adults, is getting pushed aside. The only thing with potential imo is TLOU2 factions. Known studio, known output, quality expected, addicting gameplay loop etc. A PUBG type of experience can be made in that world, while still having dedicated modes. Even Factions, compared to the other titles listed is gonna be shackled to Sony's userbase. These type of games benefit A LOT from going to PC for that streamer's community push. Don't think Sony's gonna go there with a ND game. It's one of the reasons Sea of Thieves got a second chance.

There is an expectations aspect here. All those titles listed, for the enlightened PS base at least would be considered more or less shovelware if they were announced by a PS studio. Crap for the uneducated masses - cheap. If Santa Monica came out with that Sea of Thieves trailer back in 2016 or whatever we know what the reaction to that would've been. It's what it's.

I agree. It's hard to crack that MP market where the titans like Fortnite are. I think it's taken the luster away from some games that used to have very popular MP like Gears. I don't ever hear about Gears 5 MP

 

[Knitted Knight]

This might be the thought behind looking into acquiring the Warframe devs they'd get Splash Damage too who has done MP for Gears

I agree as well. Given the situation it's better to acquire an established IP in this space with an established community rather than going for that one in a million shot with a from-the-ground-up new IP. At least it gets you through the door faster while you tinker around with other studios to create that fresh new IP.

 

[Hobbygaming]

I agree as well. Given the situation it's better to acquire an established IP in this space with an established community rather than going for that one in a million shot for a from-the-group-up new IP. At least it gets you through the door faster, while you tinker around with other ideas to supplement.

That's smart and way less risky. I don't think it makes a lot of sense to put a ton of resources into a new MP focused IP either for Sony's 1st party

I'd be fine with their single player titles having the multiplayer done by Splash Damage and other studios though. That way it doesn't take time away from the SP

 

[Batiman]

Does anyone know what that smaller zeldaish game was called that was at the recent Sony was event? It had that cool Pixar like art style and had dragons and monsters. That was one of the coolest looking games at that event and I can’t even remember what it’s called.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Does anyone know what that smaller zeldaish game was called that was at the recent Sony was event? It had that cool Pixar like art style and had dragons and monsters. That was one of the coolest looking games at that event and I can’t even remember what it’s called.

You are likely thinking of Kena.




But I continue to be confused why people think this looks like Zelda in any way lol

 

[Knitted Knight]

It's about the feel/vibe of wonder. Not necessarily the looks.

 

[Bryank75]

Does anyone know what that smaller zeldaish game was called that was at the recent Sony was event? It had that cool Pixar like art style and had dragons and monsters. That was one of the coolest looking games at that event and I can’t even remember what it’s called.

They did a Zelda fan film, that's why it looked like Zelda, they are really talented. I want Sony to add them to PS Studios!
They need that in the lineup and the guys there deserve a decent budget and a good team to back them up....

IntentionalPun They made this....people were begging for a full feature from them.

 

[JerryinSoCal]

I wonder if WB would end up selling studios off individually rather than making a company buy all of those studios. I'm sure NRS would be the first to go, Mortal Kombat prints money.

 

[Bryank75]

I wonder if WB would end up selling studios off individually rather than making a company buy all of those studios. I'm sure NRS would be the first to go, Mortal Kombat prints money.

They are trying to sell everything together cause they know a lot of it has no value for companies that have that money to buy.....
The entire publishing business and support studios and offices would have to go with a load of lay-offs.

So they won't want to sell individually cause they won't get the same money and they will be left with a load of stuff that costs money to dismantle.

 

[Batiman]

You are likely thinking of Kena.




But I continue to be confused why people think this looks like Zelda in any way lol

No that game looks more like Zelda actually. I’m talking about that game that looked more like a medieval setting. It was like an adventure game with a stumpy dwarf like man with a big square head? Had like an ashen type art style? Smaller budget.



Found it. This was one of the best looking games they showed and seems like no one cares. I think it looks better than Kena.

 

[Knitted Knight]

They are trying to sell everything together cause they know a lot of it has no value for companies that have that money to buy.....
The entire publishing business and support studios and offices would have to go with a load of lay-offs.

So they won't want to sell individually cause they won't get the same money and they will be left with a load of stuff that costs money to dismantle.

Kinda a shame for the big 3-4 studios in there too.

 

[Bryank75]

Kinda a shame for the big 3-4 studios in there too.

Sony has a few options here to counter...

They could place a bid, buy all the studios and sell off what they don't want after.... just keep Tt, Monolith, Rocksteady and Netherrealm....maybe Avalanche. But the rest would sell for under a billion.... so that is 3 billion at least for 5 studios.

They could wait and let Xbox buy WB Studios and get 4-5 billion and buy someone like Bethesda for 2.5 - 3 Billion (Maybe more based on negotiations) and then add a few other studios..... I would pick up Ember Lab (Kena), Kojima, Remedy and iOi.

Then I would negotiate a deal with Disney for Marvel IP's... Wolverine could be a very gritty SP game. Iron Man VR2, A Dr Doom game, a Black Panther game etc.

Then I'd take any cash left and secure R* next 2-3 games as exclusives.

 

[Bryank75]

No that game looks more like Zelda actually. I’m talking about that game that looked more like a medieval setting. It was like an adventure game with a stumpy dwarf like man with a big square head? Had like an ashen type art style? Smaller budget.



Found it. This was one of the best looking games they showed and seems like no one cares. I think it looks better than Kena.

A lot of people actually loved it. I'll definitely be getting it.
I've been watching loads of reactions to the event and that game got a great reaction from everyone.

The show had too many games, some games like Goodbye Volcano High and the Fruit & Veg game (Whatever its called) and Project Athia could have been taken out..... the Capcom Space game too, they were too far out to be shown.

That would have given more focus to the games they showed. People have short memories and attention spans. So they just remember the biggest 3-5 games that are most familiar.

 

[Knitted Knight]

Sony has a few options here to counter...

They could place a bid, buy all the studios and sell off what they don't want after.... just keep Tt, Monolith, Rocksteady and Netherrealm....maybe Avalanche. But the rest would sell for under a billion.... so that is 3 billion at least for 5 studios.

They could wait and let Xbox buy WB Studios and get 4-5 billion and buy someone like Bethesda for 2.5 - 3 Billion (Maybe more based on negotiations) and then add a few other studios..... I would pick up Ember Lab (Kena), Kojima, Remedy and iOi.

Then I would negotiate a deal with Disney for Marvel IP's... Wolverine could be a very gritty SP game. Iron Man VR2, A Dr Doom game, a Black Panther game etc.

Then I'd take any cash left and secure R* next 2-3 games as exclusives.

You enjoy madness lad. Definitely interesting to see a Sony counter. You don't just allow the competition to buy out a big 3rd party publisher without an answer.

 

[Deleted member 471617]

Sony has a few options here to counter...

They could place a bid, buy all the studios and sell off what they don't want after.... just keep Tt, Monolith, Rocksteady and Netherrealm....maybe Avalanche. But the rest would sell for under a billion.... so that is 3 billion at least for 5 studios.

They could wait and let Xbox buy WB Studios and get 4-5 billion and buy someone like Bethesda for 2.5 - 3 Billion (Maybe more based on negotiations) and then add a few other studios..... I would pick up Ember Lab (Kena), Kojima, Remedy and iOi.

Then I would negotiate a deal with Disney for Marvel IP's... Wolverine could be a very gritty SP game. Iron Man VR2, A Dr Doom game, a Black Panther game etc.

Then I'd take any cash left and secure R* next 2-3 games as exclusives.

Thus far, Sony hasn't shown any interest in acquiring WB Games. They seem to be much more focused on Leyou.

I don't see Sony buying Bethesda. Bethesda is still a better fit with Microsoft than Sony. I know Sony gave Bethesda money for Ghostwire Tokyo and Deathloop to be a timed console exclusive but that's because both games are going to bomb. Outside of Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Doom and to a lesser extent, Wolfenstein, their games don't sell. Plus, they get released in a shitty time period.

I don't see Sony acquiring Ember Lab. Kojima will only work with Sony so no point in buying Kojima Productions. Remedy has a multi-game deal with Epic and Sony had the chance to buy them and it simply didn't happen. IO Interactive is a possibility but you have to hope they can create a new IP that hits.

 

[Bryank75]

Thus far, Sony hasn't shown any interest in acquiring WB Games. They seem to be much more focused on Leyou.

I don't see Sony buying Bethesda. Bethesda is still a better fit with Microsoft than Sony. I know Sony gave Bethesda money for Ghostwire Tokyo and Deathloop to be a timed console exclusive but that's because both games are going to bomb. Outside of Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Doom and to a lesser extent, Wolfenstein, their games don't sell. Plus, they get released in a shitty time period.

I don't see Sony acquiring Ember Lab. Kojima will only work with Sony so no point in buying Kojima Productions. Remedy has a multi-game deal with Epic and Sony had the chance to buy them and it simply didn't happen. IO Interactive is a possibility but you have to hope they can create a new IP that hits.

I think it could fit quite well.... Pete Hines is friendly with Sony these days.
Let Todd do his thing and he can still publish on PC
Doom goes exclusive to fill the shooter gap.
Arkane have that Bioshock gameplay and just need to create an IP that hits....
Kimura can either join his team up with Japan Studio to help with horror games or create his own horror games.

You're probably right about Kojima.

I'm really curious why Sony didn't pull the trigger on Remedy, they could even get the Max Payne IP to do something and Control was great.

Ember is underrated, I think they could make a Zelda quality / level game with the right support. They would be cheap and have so much potential. PlayStation need a game like that, that appeals to a huge audience of all demographics.


I'm very dubious about the quality of studios in the Leyou deal..... however I think they have all the Telltale IP's and a deal for Transformers, which could be interesting. But not 1.3 billion dollar interesting.

 

[Dr Bass]

PUBG sold 60+ million copies on PC/Console. Then it had healthy microtransaction sales. Then there's the whole mobile version too.

Overwatch had 35+ million players in 2017, one year after release. It also had an aggressive MTX model. It's probably done a little more since then.

Rocket League surpassed 40 million players in 2018. It's consistently grown more popular in terms of player count since 2018 according to Stramcharts.

Rainbow Six Siege earned 1.12 Billion according to Ubisoft earlier this year. To put that in context, TLoU2 sold 4 million copies at $60 dollars which earned Sony 240 million. The first time Siege saw a drop in players was in May of 2020. So it's still earning considerably.

Then there's that little indie game called Fortnite which may have broken even by now...

GTAV is essentially a multiplayer focused title at this point. Minecraft is still a monster. As is Roblox, League of Legends etc...

I'm not really seeing single player games being able to compete with that in terms of revenue/sales.

I don't think Sony can look at a supremely talented team like Naughty Dog, which took how many employees 5+ years on TLoU2, and be thrilled with the fact that their games die on the vine so quickly.

The multiplayer, social based gaming revolution is upon us. If Sony is still considered a single player focused company in 3 years, they'll have made a massive mistake.

There is no better marketing mechanic than having your friends talk about playing a multiplayer game in front of you...Sony needs to tap into that.

"Buy a PS5 bro! We could use a fourth."

Like I said. Big multiplayer games have been around for decades. So you listed some of the current popular ones. Awesome.

So again, huge single player games drive platforms. Huge multiplayer games are also popular and seem to exist on just about every platform.

Like it's been for, again .... decades.

So about that "rapidly changing" gaming industry ...

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Like I said. Big multiplayer games have been around for decades. So you listed some of the current popular ones. Awesome.

So again, huge single player games drive platforms. Huge multiplayer games are also popular and seem to exist on just about every platform.

Like it's been for, again .... decades.

So about that "rapidly changing" gaming industry ...

Massively popular multiplayer games haven't been a thing for decades. Those are a relatively new occurrence.

And how do you think they're trending? They're not staying the same. Either they're getting more popular among gamers or less popular. I know where my money's at.

So yes, rapidly changing.

 

[Bryank75]

 

[ToadMan]

Wait, your concerned with player counts?

In terms of assessing Sony’s strategy - absolutely.

 

[-Arcadia-]

Kena looks amazing, and like a perfect fit for their stable but... Ember should really ship a game first. Lol.

That said, this along with Spider-Man really makes me think I need to have the PS5 this year.

 

[Bryank75]

Kena looks amazing, and like a perfect fit for their stable but... Ember should really ship a game first. Lol.

That said, this along with Spider-Man really makes me think I need to have the PS5 this year.

I think the brothers that started Ember are worth setting up with a good team around them.... they have the vision. That's my impression of them, I think PlayStation needs its own Zelda and they could deliver that.

I get what you're saying though, they have to prove they can ship.... maybe after Kena releases. I just hope it's not attacked by reviewers who are all so defensive about Zelda...
I can see that happening, the gaming media is overly Nintendo biased I find.

 

[-Arcadia-]

I think the brothers that started Ember are worth setting up with a good team around them.... they have the vision. That's my impression of them, I think PlayStation needs its own Zelda and they could deliver that.

I get what you're saying though, they have to prove they can ship.... maybe after Kena releases. I just hope it's not attacked by reviewers who are all so defensive about Zelda...

I don’t think gaming media has much love for Nintendo, at least not since... N64? Things seem better this gen, but I don’t really see anybody (I hate this term so much) ‘stanning’ for Nintendo.

I kind of think Kena is its own thing as well. Or at least it’s kind of hard to get a lock on it right now. I was more reminded of platformers than anything, for my part.

Do totally agree about what the brothers are doing. Are there any stories about their transition from animation to games? I feel like that would be a fascinating read.

 

[Bryank75]

I don’t think gaming media has much love for Nintendo, at least not since... N64? Things seem better this gen, but I don’t really see anybody (I hate this term so much) ‘stanning’ for Nintendo.

I kind of think Kena is its own thing as well. Or at least it’s kind of hard to get a lock on it right now. I was more reminded of platformers than anything, for my part.

Do totally agree about what the brothers are doing. Are there any stories about their transition from animation to games? I feel like that would be a fascinating read.

Check out their Youtube

EmberLab

www.youtube.com

Watch their Majoras Mask fan film!
They used to make advertising for many companies too... large multinationals.

 

[FeiRR]

Even if Sony managed to produce a great game - it'd just get lost in the noise of the multiplats that dominate the segment.

Sure Sony can and should make the smaller scale MP games same as Nintendo - I think the TLOU2 MP will be great. Gran Turismo Sport was a good MP game in the end so hopefully GT7 continues that.

But Sony making a AAA first/third person shooter to compete with CoD, BF or Fortnite but only playable on PS5? It's not worth the risk/investment these days. I'd love to see it sure - but I can understand why Sony are backing away from that sector now.

You're putting all MP players in the same bag. You don't play MP yourself, am I right?

There are many people out there who player Warhawk, Killzone, MAG, Resistance or Socom and would like to have the same kind of experience again. An experience that COD or Fortnite won't provide. And I'd also prefer to play just with PSN users. I don't want PC kids with disposable cheat accounts to spoil my fun. I think I'm not the only one with such expectations. Most of my BF clan are people who started on PC but then switched to consoles for a fair experience.

 

[-Arcadia-]

The way I see it:

If Sony has an amazing idea for a multiplayer game, do it!

If Sony doesn’t have an amazing idea for a multiplayer game, and just wants a entrant in the genre, there’s no reason to do it. Third parties have this on lock, Sony has their support on lock, and they even make massive licensing fees and digital storefront cuts from the games.

I... it really is that simple, lol.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

Absolutely but like Sea of Thieves, I think PlayStation can make multiplayer games that are different and fill a niche that currently isn't being served.

Like some were saying above, a Warhawk type game or a 3rd person tactical shooter would fill a need in the market right now.

This will be the next big MP beast!




But yes, I loved Uncharted 4 MP, but if you wanna go big you need to have servers for big MP's.