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Reaction: PS5 Livestreams Are No Longer Speaking to the Fans Who Built the Brand
Tough times
www.pushsquare.com
there’s a growing sentiment that PlayStation is no longer speaking to the fans that built its brand with these broadcasts. The overwhelming reaction from both readers on Push Square and on social media in general is that the platform holder’s latest livestream was middling at best, and it’s not exactly the first time.
The problem for PlayStation right now – through a heady combination of its own adjusted marketing plans, the aftermath of the pandemic, and never-ending development cycles – is that it feels like it’s abandoned the kinds of software that fans have always valued most. The success of the PS3’s latter years and PS4’s entire lifecycle was built on single player experiences like The Last of Us and Ghost of Tsushima; with new titles from Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch missing in action, many feel slighted by the manufacturer right now.
The upcoming Silent Hill 2remake, a console exclusive, is a big deal, for example; Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Stellar Blade launched just a couple of months ago. But enthusiasts are desperate to see that PS Studios logo followed by eye-melting, new-gen justifying experiences – and these projects are, sadly, now taking unprecedented lengths of time to build.
Astro Bot looks delightful, of course, and channels that old-school Japan Studio energy that so many propose to be lacking from the PlayStation of today – but for an audience that grew up on a steady stream of Resistance, inFAMOUS, and Uncharted, the PS5 feels sorely lacking in comparison. There’s a larger discussion about the dynamics of this generation that contextualises why, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t change the fact that the Sony of 2024 seems out of touch with the fans who ultimately built the brand.