If success is the ultimate goal, why not just drop consoles and make mobile gacha games? I suppose they'd really be happy with all the success Sony would see from that move...
Well they are looking into mobile, and I'm sure Sony'd like their own Geshin Impact.
Though for what it could do for AA 1P, I'd prefer a bigger focus on mobile than PC.
We went from having fun quirky games, new ips, solid indies, and single player experiences to remakes, reboots, and gaas. I'm not a big Nintendo fan like was during the NES/SNES days, but they have figured it out. Just offer fun games, some nostalgic, some new.
Nintendo's one of the few companies consistently keeping the hobby interesting and mostly toxicity-free, IMHO. Kinda why I don't have a lot of excitement for the PS5 Pro reveal, but the Switch 2 has me quite looking forward to what it'll offer hardware & software-wise.
SH2 remake biggest deal... gives it to Bloober.
Yeah that game is looking kinda rough. I'm not expecting it to be a tour de force visually, but some of Jame's character animations don't look updated from the original game on PS2. When he's grabbing and holding objects, there's no transitionary animation and his hand model looks stiff & unnatural AF during those item close-ups.
It's a bit jarring and breaks the mood. Also I'm still not sure about the over-the-shoulder 3P camera. The original game specifically used fixed camera angles for thematic effect & tension, and adding to the horror. You lose all of that with a standard 3P camera.
The last State Of Play was dominated by Asian developed titles, but people are still unhappy!
I mean Monster Hunter, Dynasty Warriors, Infinity Nikki, Ballad Of Antara, Where Winds Meet, and of course Silent Hill 2 which is a remake of a Japanese game. That show was dominated by Asian product.
Not trying to be difficult or controversial, but I don't see the "problem" being a shortage of quirky Japanese games. I think its a simple case of people not understanding how much time and commitment it takes to make modern games. And now that Sony have stopped trailering stuff heavily years out from release, their first-party schedule its going to end up stretched out with lots of third-party offerings.
For me, it's a few things WRT the last SOP.
1: Basically 90% of the games shown were multiplat. Whether that be PS console exclusive + PC (Steam), or just multiple platforms in general, the vast majority of games shown were not exclusive. I'm not saying exclusives mean everything, but you need more than a single one, particularly among 1P-developed titles.
2: Silent Hill 2 looks kinda rough, NGL. Feels like the budget isn't quite there, and I know Bloober are known for delivering on very small budgets. But a game like SH2 looks like it needed a bigger one. Just look at Jame's hands in those item grab close-ups. It's stiff AF.
3: Now with GOWR PC port, almost every SIE title released since 2020 is on PC/Steam, right before the rumored PS5 Pro. The only 1P-developed exclusives they still have left are: GT7 (likely getting a PC version announced once the PSVR2 thing for PC is released), Spiderman 2 (Steam version probably in H1 2025), Demon's Souls Remake (probably also getting a Steam version in the near future), Astro's Playroom, and Astro Bot. Five games, one of which is kind of a sample. That's it.
The amount grows if you include 3P-developed exclusives with SIE co-funding or co-development, or 3P timed exclusivity deals, but I think most wondering about what SIE are up to are focused on the internal teams and, well, it looks like most are either working on GAAS or working with port studios to bring the games to Steam. Team Asobi's the only 1P who've revealed a new non-GAAS traditional game from SIE since 2021.
I mean, Sony know there is a big chunk of their base interested in 1P-developed non-GAAS titles specifically. How do you go 3 years without revealing something new in that realm? I'd say it's like withholding specific financial sales results from your biggest investors to string them along with MAU stuff instead...sounds like another platform holder, no?
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So while yes, having more Asian games at the show was a good thing, I still think SIE need a better balance addressing the stuff mentioned above. And that's combined with the fact that this year, there may not even be a Showcase. Also if the PS5 Pro is releasing, how are they going to sell it/show it off? Most of their big games are on Steam already; no matter how good the Pro improves them, it can't compete with a 4090 & i9.
I guess it will come down more to focusing on performance uplift in its price bracket vs. mid-range CPUs & GPUs, but is the Pro going to be priced competitively against that? If SIE are focused on increasing profit margins, there's little chance for price cuts on the console this year. That just means the Pro will be higher-priced.