As I remember Stellar Blade and I think Convallaria were announced for 2023, I assume may release in 2024. Helldivers 2, Concord, Rise of the Ronin have been announced for 2024.
Wolverine, Death Stranding 2 and Marathon may be 2024 too. Then there's unannounced games like the next Team Asobi game, Cory's new IP, London's new IP, Firesprite games which could be 2024 titles too. And unannounced 2nd party games who when don't know when can be released like the Ballistic Moon game, or who knows if the Sumo team who did Sackboy Adventures is also making a game.
Sony normally doesn't announce games that are 2 or more years away from release (with Wolverine as exception). So I think most the games announced before 2023 plus some more recent and other ones still unannounced will be released in 2024, and then the other announced ones, plus some unannounced would release in 2025.
Weren't Sumo Digital acquired by another publisher a year or two ago? Sony could still be working with that team at Sumo, sure, but I guess it could also be another Aspyr situation, depends on who owns Sumo Digital these days.
I think the only unannounced games that could release in 2025 would be one or two we already kind of know exist but otherwise don't have any info on them, like ND's new IP or since you brought it up, Cory Balrog's new IP. Hopefully it wouldn't just be PC ports
I think Sony hasn't announced any game planned to be released in 2026 or beyond, because they don't announce games to be released 3+ years in the future, that's Microsoft territory.
FWIW Sony used to do it too, and there was 100% no problem with that because unlike Microsoft, Sony's actually delivered on the vast majority of their games announced many years ahead of release. The only gaffe they had 1P-wise, IMO, was Dreams. Not down to anything quality-wise, but because it took so damn long to actually release; they revealed it in 2013 but it didn't release until 2020. That was ridiculous.
The Last Guardian is another example I suppose, but still, that's only two games out of dozens. Sony earned the right to keep with that strategy, so it's disappointing they have ran away from it. Microsoft tried taking a page from Sony's book with showing a "big picture" roadmap many years ahead but never established a schedule of strong 1P releases prior to earn the benefit of trust.
Since they increased the cadence of PC releases their console hardware and software sales increased, and their console 1st party sales too. The console engagement, ARPU and game subs revenue also are in record levels. Absolutely no signs of negative effects in console, in any case the effect is the opposite.
Like I've said before, there just hasn't been enough time yet to say the current PC porting strategy has, or hasn't, had negative effects on long-term console and console sales/revenue. IMO, even things like putting 1P AAA games into PS+ after only a year of B2P sales (this is what they did with HFW) could have adverse, negative effects long-term if that becomes a regular thing.
I don't think Sony need to do risky ports to PC of new or newish 1P traditional games that could weaken the value proposition of console B2P sales of that software (or console sales themselves), in order to increase profits off software. The GaaS going Day 1 on console & PC should in theory be enough.
The PC releases gave them huge extra revenue and profit and allows them reach many new fans. So they will continue increasing the amount of PC releases per year (if they have enough resources, because I think that at some point won't be able to increase it more), and some GaaS (at least the Bungie ones) will release in PC day one.
No, they didn't give them quite the huge revenue & profit you're thinking, because a lot of that came from Destiny 2...a game Sony got through acquiring Bungie. The revenue they brought in FY 2022 was enough for maybe 1 big AAA game, but the actual profit was less, and that's not likely going to be used for 1 big AAA so much as split up funding current games.
Or, that plus some used to cover the Bungie acquisition costs, or pump R&D into PlayStation 6. All necessary things, and good things, but just goes to show the annual PC revenue wouldn't be enough to really fund another big AAA game if it stays at the pace it was FY '22.
Yes, as always Sony also has a gazillion 3P exclusives coming both big and small, from all genres and types. Way more than 1P games.
But this time I only listed two types of Sony published games:
-Sony GaaS greenlighted before the Jimbo+Hermen era
-Sony games greenlighted during the Jimbo+Hermen era
About the 3P exclusives, well that much is always a sure thing. I'm just curious how well that strategy holds going forward in the face of, say, a Nintendo getting a lot more 3P support since they could have a system that's actual viable on a technical level. Or (hopefully not), Microsoft looking to gobble up more 3P publishers to choke them off from working with Sony independently under the ruse of being "competitive".
If PC availability would hurt their main business, which is consoles, then they would stop making PC ports and also would sign again total exclusives instead of timed console exclusives.
If they do PC ports and sign timed console exclusives it's because it works better for them.
Hey, I guess we're going to see if Sony have made a change of exactly that internally, by the time the new SIE CEO is announced. The full/timed console exclusives stuff with 3P is something not fully in their control, it'd depend on goals of the 3P publisher. With devs, it's easier to negotiate.
But with 1P titles? I'm 100% expecting some significant changes to plans with porting the 1P traditional titles over. As in, either that stops or the windows increase significantly between versions. They could still leverage PC for GaaS titles though and remaster compilations of older releases, which would be smart business.