Bringing back Resistance makes the most sense imo. The lore and alternate history it plays with is much more interesting and can lend itself well to a character driven story with themes that differ from the ones you typically see today. Plus the co-op was hella fun lol.
Sony Playstation: First Party Studios & their Current Projects
- Thread starter JuanLatino
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Bringing back Resistance makes the most sense imo. The lore and alternate history it plays with is much more interesting and can lend itself well to a character driven story with themes that differ from the ones you typically see today. Plus the co-op was hella fun lol.
SolidSnakex
Member
I've said it before, but if they do dip their toes back into that genre then I hope that they look at Overwatch. Not necessarily at the genre, but rather how they handled its creation. It doesn't look realistic and they put a focus before the game was even released on making the characters distinguishable and likable.
Guerrilla mentioned in one of the Horizon Making of docs that they basically did things backwards with Killzone. And by that they mean that the Helghasts were the characters that people remembered. But no one really cares about or remembers the leads, even though those are the characters that you should remember.
LastMinuteHero
Member
It was never marketed as a halo killer; it was the stupid press who did that shit
potatohead
Member
This is probably the main reason it will get cut.
And it fucking blows. I love Killzone.
If they returned to say Killzone 1/2 style for a reboot on PS5 I'd probably shit myself.
I would love a game based on him, his rise to visari's right hand and his notoriety among the nsa
wapplew
Member
Better name.
Triggerhappytel
Member
It's always been called Everybody's Golf in Europe. I guess they're adopting that name in NA too?
It's obviously a very competitive market and due to Sony's close association this gen with Battlefront, Destiny, COD they maybe don't see it as important compared to their many efforts last gen, but I'd still like them to try and break into the market if it means they're going to do something different. I do think Killzone is perhaps too 'tainted' to be competitive any more (Shadow Fall was their chance for a COD4-style 'soft reboot' but they screwed the pooch), and Resistance saw steeply declining sales so I doubt that's coming back, but it's still an important genre and I'd like to see them take another crack. If it was me I would commission a high-quality FPS-experienced studio to make something new, like Human Head (probably my first choice), Digital Extremes or Starbreeze. I'd go full sci-fi and have several different alien types and a sense of journey like the original Unreal or Halo.
LiquidSolid
Member
Everybody's Golf is the actual name of the series, so I guess after 20 YEARS (!) SIEA are finally pulling a Dragon Warrior -> Dragon Quest with the series.
Nightengale
Member
Fucking finally.
Hotshots is a catchier title but OG title is the best.
Hotshots is a catchier title but OG title is the best.
That trailer is 12 years old, the franchise and "Halo killer" name not once used since the original released. It would be ridiculous to keep holding that against the series. I see what you're saying but I simply do not agree that people are that irrational. Folks trolling, perhaps?
Either way, I hope for and expect another Killzone. It's not like open world narrative driven games are rare. They're everywhere, just as FPS titles are, and Horizon managed to stand out critically. We'll see if it does so in sales.
Japan Studio ?
Isn't that multiple developers? (Team Gravity, Team Ico etc.)
Not really. They are all part of Japan Studio, just different creative teams within the studio
Theslammer
Member
Are Gravity Rush and Knack even considered AAA? AAA seems to be more budget-minded -- Uncharted, Horizon, Killzone -- regardless of quality, while stuff like the former two seem lower-budget overall.
Triggerhappytel
Member
I hope Helldivers 2 is in the works. Timing would probably be good for a reveal this year. I really enjoyed the first game and I'd hope they could expand the scope considerably in a sequel with a bigger budget.
Nightengale
Member
Helldivers was one of those games where I play it thinking "a AAA version of this game could be real good."
A co-op TPS with MGSV-style controls (jump, crouch, crawl) with similar mechanics from MGSV but adapted to the Helldivers formula (helicopter/drops/airstrikes from MGSV to Helldiver pods/drops/etc), in a procedurally generated open environment.
Allonym
There should be more tampons in gaming
Damn that sounds super good actually!
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
Edit:wrong thread. Horizon so good got me all mixed up
Nightengale
Member
Highly likely.
Director for Shadowfall is now "helping out with studio management/administration" instead of working on another game, and lead designer for Shadowfall put Horizon on his resume after a year of not saying whether or not he's working on Horizon or something else.
My personal 'tales-from-the-arse' speculation, derived from my twitter stalking, is that they tried to get a co-developed Cambridge Killzone off the ground, since Steven was shown travelling to Cambridge a few times over the past 2 years, but it ended up getting cancelled or put aside in favour of RIGS.
Anyway, with Horizon's strong likelihood of success, it's not a loss even if they don't have a 2nd creative team at the moment since Horizon 2 should continue off the same team anyway.
What's important is, just like Horizon, for there to be an initiative to have another idea brewing in the background.
Agreed.
They've said that when they decided to make Horizon they had to choose between it and another idea they really liked. Perhaps they will get a small creative team together to explore that second concept while the bulk of the team works on a Horizon sequel.
miller.skippins
Banned
a different team comprising of mostly new hires handled Shadowfall...
The Horizon guys are the senior veterans of Guerilla...at least that's what i've heard.
privitsan02
Member
With how Sony are closing their smaller studios and expanding their bigger ones, I can totally see Bend biting the dust if Days Gone isn't a big success. It'll have been 7-8 years since their last game. No way are they surviving without a big hit and nothing to show for since 2011.
I also don't think that Sucker Punch or Media Molecule are safe either. Their next projects needs to be hits otherwise it could spell trouble for them eventually. I think Sony downsizing their studios could be good for quality, but we will also be getting less games overtime.
Have a feeling that by PS5 we'll only be seeing:
Japan Studio
London Studio/XDEV
Santa Monica Studio
San Diego Studio
Naughty Dog
Polyphony Digital
Sucker Punch
Guerilla Games
Media Molecule
I was hoping that first party would grow in studios, not downsize and focus on current expansions..
Best wishes.
I also don't think that Sucker Punch or Media Molecule are safe either. Their next projects needs to be hits otherwise it could spell trouble for them eventually. I think Sony downsizing their studios could be good for quality, but we will also be getting less games overtime.
Have a feeling that by PS5 we'll only be seeing:
Japan Studio
London Studio/XDEV
Santa Monica Studio
San Diego Studio
Naughty Dog
Polyphony Digital
Sucker Punch
Guerilla Games
Media Molecule
I was hoping that first party would grow in studios, not downsize and focus on current expansions..
Best wishes.
I hate that Sony has closed several of their studios and people lost their jobs but I honestly understand why they did. Ever since the PS4 became the mecca of indie game development on console and the Vita flat-lined, they no doubt realized that they don't need so many studios. Why have 15ish in-house studios when third parties and indie developers flock to your platforms, often exclusively, and when you really only have one platform to support anymore?
Regarding Bend... I think they're going to be alright. They're a good developer and seem to be getting all the time they need for Days Gone similar to how Sony worked with Guerrilla on Horizon. Also given the nature of the game itself (zombies, open-world, guns, etc.) I think it's pretty much bomb proof (at least studio closing bomb-proof) and will sell at least decently. That may be overly optimistic but those are all things that are big with the mass market these days. Sure enthusiast crowds like GAF aren't particularly blown away by it, but we've seen time and time again that we are hardly an accurate sample of the gaming market as a whole. And who knows, if the game is good it could be a legit hit. Though only time will tell.
Regarding Bend... I think they're going to be alright. They're a good developer and seem to be getting all the time they need for Days Gone similar to how Sony worked with Guerrilla on Horizon. Also given the nature of the game itself (zombies, open-world, guns, etc.) I think it's pretty much bomb proof (at least studio closing bomb-proof) and will sell at least decently. That may be overly optimistic but those are all things that are big with the mass market these days. Sure enthusiast crowds like GAF aren't particularly blown away by it, but we've seen time and time again that we are hardly an accurate sample of the gaming market as a whole. And who knows, if the game is good it could be a legit hit. Though only time will tell.
Nightengale
Member
Not true.
The folks responsible for Shadowfall are experienced GG staff, but are newer to their positions, as they're basically promoted from their previous position to what they were during SF's production.
Steven ,game director for SF was previously producer on Killzone 2,3 & Liberation.
Eric, lead designer for SF was senior game designer for multiplayer components of KZ2/3. I think SF has a strong MP (not amazing, but solid and strong) that reflects his strength that isn't very reflected in the SP-design.
Horizon is definitely the core creatives of the KZ2/3 team, but it's not like the ones handling SF were noobs.
Nightengale
Member
Sony's off-hand approach to their studios is what I like about them from a creative standpoint, but also what I hate about them from a studio/portfolio management standpoint.
I mean, sure. I fully understand the rationale behind closing Evo. But from a portfolio standpoint, there was one more rope that you could've extended the dev to hang themselves with one more time, and that was letting them leverage the GT-brand to make a spin-off.
Yes yes, we know Kazunori is an uncooperative brand master and the notion of another studio making GT is sacrilegious to him, but I would had liked to see that attempt.
It's not like Sony is stopping hirings. If we look at all the openings available at ND, GG, SSM, SP, they are hiring more than the amount of people they've laid off, so it's really a matter of treating the studios as a silo-ed output rather than figuring out how to cross-function the teams.
Sony would sooner lay off entire studios rather than let that underperforming studio be say... the MP component dev for a bigger established game. That's good creatively, but it does suck when they don't extend a lifeline they could have if they wanted to.
privitsan02
Member
While I'd like to be optimistic like you, I don't know if Days Gone is bomb-proof. Dead Rising 4 didn't do well, and people know The Last of Us 2 is coming as well and there doesn't seem to be a lot of positive buzz after its reveal like say Horizon or God of War.. Additionally, god knows how much they need to sell in order to make recoup the costs (makes sense that they are using UE4) and lack of any product being released for so many years. While Horizon has been in active development for the past 3 years and 3 additional years of pre-production, Guerilla released Killzone 3 and Shadow Fall in that time.
I also understand why closed many of their studios and growing their current one's instead. But it also means less games for us as they larger studios will likely focus on one, at most 2 games at a time. It ultimately means less products/choice of products and less people working on unique things. Not everyone at Sony need to be working on AAA caliber titles, these smaller studios could've easily have been support studios or working on $40/AA experiences like Insomniac did with Ratchet.
Just unfortunate imo.
Best wishes.
DriftingSpirit
Member
I don't think Dead Rising 4 is a good comparison. It had several problems.
For what it's worth (probably not much haha) here's the YouTube stats for Days Gone and Horizon's E3 reveals. Keep in mind Horizon has been up a year longer...
Horizon:
- 5,526,480 views
- 71,576 likes 1,661 dislikes
Days Gone:
- 5,576,594 views
- 73,776 likes 2,785 dislikes
Maybe it's because GAF isn't enthralled with the game, but I'm seeing some decent buzz here and there especially outside of this forum. I have a fair number of friends are love games but aren't as into as the folks here are and they thought Days Gone looked amazing. Though I do agree that Horizon had more buzz, especially around here.
LiquidSolid
Member
I think it was Nirolak who pointed out when Evolution was closed down that it seemed like Sony were late to the kind of restructuring all the major western third parties went through last gen (consolidating around their major studios, closing their smaller ones) and Sony were "catching up." That argument still seems pretty accurate to me. Still sucks though.
Having said that, I think the concern some people suddenly have over Sucker Punch or Media Molecule is completely unwarranted. Unlike all the studios Sony have closed down, those two have been continually successful. Sony only bought SP 6 years ago FFS and it hasn't even been 2 years since they built their new mocap studio. We also only just heard of Mm's new Brighton office a few months ago.
And on the bright side, it sure feels like Sony's a lot more organised with their first party releases this gen. Last gen often felt like Sony were just spraying games out there and hoping they'd all be hits, whereas now it seems far more focused.
No. Naughty Dog has "Team Uncharted" and "Team TLOU" too. They're still just "Naughty Dog".
Ewwww no, what an awful idea.
Putting ND on licensed games is an insult to their creativity and talent. Let them be original.
I was also going to say this, I think Gaf's bubble is colouring their perception of main stream interest in Days Gone.
People are also just jumping to way too many conclusions with that game already calling it poor, when we literally only have about 20 mins (two videos) of footage.
There's a lot more we should wait to see at E3 before judging.
In my eyes, I feel like Media Molecule are relatively bullet proof.
They made Sony a lot of bank with LBP 1 and 2 and I think Sony like having them as one of their marquee and quirky studios that churn out very unique games.
Of course they won't be afforded every luxury but I think they will be safe even if DREAMS doesn't work out commercially.
Triggerhappytel
Member
Yeah; it's a shame we didn't get a Killzone game from the Helghast perspective. Having it be like Starship Troopers would have been cool, with a very militaristic culture and tons of propaganda spread throughout their society, but framed in such a way to make them seem like the victims (which they kind of are, in the universe's lore).
Yeah; I'd love to see the concept expanded to a TPS as well. It was a really solid base to build from and I like the style and presentation.
Yeah, I can see Horizon 2 being even bigger and more ambitious, so it will almost certainly sap all studio resources. Probably won't see it until 2020 or 2021 though (hopefully). It'll be an early PS5 release.
Unlike most developers, I think Naughty Dog are so successful and their in-house brands so popular that they don't need a license like James Bond as a crutch. When you've got original games that sell 8-10 million copies on their own merits it would seem something of a waste to limit that studio to a movie license.
Good point. Days Gone seems to be channelling a few popular themes at once, so it should be easily marketable and popular with the general public, so long as Sony puts the effort in to publicise it and does not shit it out like they have done in the past with a lot of in-house IPs.
Good point - I suppose they're both making long-term preparations to expand and evolve, so to then close them wouldn't make a lot of sense.
Nightengale
Member
Well, unlike ZD where they've got to build everything from scratch, for H2, they've got the foundation for the first game already.
I don't see a sequel needing 4-5 years of development time unless they want to completely redefine the IP again.
Personally I think we'll see Horizon 2 at the end of 2019, with 3 years of dev for the sequel.
LiquidSolid
Member
I'm still in the starting area of Horizon (and loving it), so I can't really speak of what I'd like the sequel to do but the one concern I have for the sequel is that they haven't learnt from what they did to Killzone. Guerrilla got Killzone right with Killzone 2, yet they still seemed to move in completely different directions with the series and none of them were anywhere near as good as 2. I don't want to play Horizon 2 and find out that instead of building on what the first game did right, they moved it in a completely unnecessary, different direction.
Theslammer
Member
I really hope we look back at all these "Which developer will get the ax next" as an overreaction to things because so many conversations revolve around, "Who's going to lose their jobs next and why?"
Not first party, but Sony's really dropped the ball with regards to indie games recently. So many games are being announced for either Switch or X1 timed or full exclusives. I haven't seen much from Sony on this front in ages now.
I guess losing people like Shahid and Nick Suttner has hurt them in that regard.
I guess losing people like Shahid and Nick Suttner has hurt them in that regard.
Savantcore
Unconfirmed Member
I think Days Gone looks great. Nice twist on a post-apocalyptic open-world with the bike being centre to it, and it looks like the massive hordes will be a great mix of excitement and stress. I think it just looks fun.
Triggerhappytel
Member
I'm more concerned about them dropping things like Rime and Edith Finch. It suggests a lack of interest in these AAA indies, which served them so well last gen. I mean, Journey is probably the biggest success story in 'first party indies' and yet they seem to have axed at least a third of their efforts on this front not five years later. As long as XDEV keeps chugging along.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
That concern for the first parties on the last page is totally not needed.
Theslammer
Member
I'm actually surprised Housemarque hasn't gotten into this group of studios. They've made almost everything solely for Playstation platforms, they have a good relationship with them, they've worked with XDev quite a bit, and they're a special part of the Sony ecosystem with addictive, fun and gameplay-heavy games, plus tons of co-op.
Triggerhappytel
Member
Speaking of Housemarque, I can't wait to see more of Matterfall. That being said, I have played barely anything of Alienation.
You should all remember Sony have had some real bomba's with funding a lot of these whimsical indie games with few relative hits outside a few games like Journey.
Look at Bound, Flower, Unfinished Swan (which took forever to make), Kill Strain were all bombs according to Colin on the latest KF podcast.
Edith Finch also staying in limbo for the last 4-5 years is unacceptable.
It's smart of Sony to fund less of these and focus on fewer titles and more 1st party stuff, as a lot of those indie AAA games come defacto to PS4 anyway if a publisher grabs them; they won't ignore the massive PS4 userbase.
They are keeping the more prosperous relationships with House Marque alive at least.
Triggerhappytel
Member
OléGunner;231248031 said:
I don't think Flower was a bomb at all, and I would question where he got his information on Bound and The Unfinished Swan. Killstrain was definitely something nobody asked for or cared about, however. Aren't the Kinda Funny guys notorious for running their mouths off about stuff they don't understand?
I mean, it is a bit troubling at the number of studio closures in the last few years. Especially since Sony are the market leader.
Theslammer
Member
I really, really enjoyed Alienation. Resogun is still my favorite, but the co-op and that last bonus level that you use to get better weapons was fun as hell.
But yeah, I feel like at this point, their games aren't expensive and they have a great relationship with Sony. Get in there for all the additional benefits!
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