Journalist Bloomberg Jason Schreyep has posted a new piece on Sony’s obsession with blockbuster games. And this starts to worry the employees of the internal studios.
At the end of April it ceased to exist Japan studioresponsible for the release of many iconic but highly niche games. As Schreier notes, this decision is directly related to Sony’s new strategy.
Expensive AAA games were one of the key factors behind the PlayStation 4’s 114+ million sales. The company’s management focused on developing exclusively blockbusters, sacrificing everything else. Because of this, the range of exclusives began to decline, because there was no longer any room for experimental projects.
Within the SIE, there was a small team made up of staff from several studios. Its backbone was formed by members of the 17th studio – Visual Arts Service Group… Studio leader Michael Mumbauer wanted to expand some of the existing franchises, and the first project was to be a remake of the original Uncharted… The idea turned out to be too laborious, so a little later the developers focused on a simpler task – a remake The last of us…
Demo prototype codenamed TIX was ready in 2019. The idea was to release a dilogy on PS5 The last of us… The team then planned to return to the Uncharted remake.
However, Sony’s management never officially recognized the group’s existence and refused to provide funding. The team was dispersed, and the right to develop the remake was returned back to Naughty dog… The ideologists of the project left the company, including Mumbauer, the rest were transferred to the finishing touches The Last of Us: Part II…
Schreier added that the order came from the ex-head Guerrilla Games Hermann Hulstwho headed PlayStation Worldwide Studios… The top manager considered the costs too high, although the developers themselves considered them to be justified, given the advanced graphics.
Now Naughty Dog is in charge of the development of the remake of The Last of Us. Visual Arts Service Group acts as a support studio.
The studio was also a victim. Sony bendwho released an ambitious game Days gone… The project was quite large-scale, and it was done by a relatively small team. The game was released in 2019, and at the same time the studio tried to get permission to develop a sequel.
Sony refused. Despite the fact that Days Gone made money, the platform owner considered the timeline for the development of the original too long, while the reaction from critics was mixed.
As a result, Bend was nearly downgraded to a supporting studio. Part of the team helps Naughty Dog develop the multiplayer game, the other half focuses on creating Uncharted 5… Ordinary employees and even top managers of Sony Bend did not like this alignment, so some of them quit.
Representatives of the studio feared that they would eventually be swallowed up by Naughty Dog, so the team asked to exclude it from the development of the new Uncharted. Sony gave its approval in March 2023 and Bend is currently working on a new game.
There are also problems Media molecule… Sony hasn’t invested enough money to advertise an ambitious game builder Dreamshaving missed the opportunity to create a competitor to the mega-popular Roblox (the company that developed it is now worth $ 45 billion).
Exclusive content has always been a major selling point for PlayStation consoles, and Naughty Dog remains a key system sellers studio. Therefore, the company’s cautious policy is understandable, says Schreier.
Read also: Asian verdict: Sony officially announces “reorganization” of JAPAN Studio
Jade Raymond Opens Studio With Sony Support, New PlayStation Exclusive In Development
Officially: Days Gone and Other PlayStation Exclusives Coming to PC
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