It’s been a weird year for PlayStation, right? Objectively, the organization is probably at the peak of its power right now: revenue is ridiculous, it accumulates more nominations than the rest of the combined industry, and the PS5 has been so wildly successful that it has forced retailers to implement lottery systems. and other innovative technologies just to meet demand. For the more committed fans, though, the kind of people who frequent places like Push Square several times a day. Honestly it has been pretty bland for one long time.
In terms of daily traffic, last year we enjoyed record visits, but it was certainly not the news cycle that kept us afloat. Sony, we’ve already noticed, has been getting closer and closer to Nintendo-style public relations for a while now; it operates in secret, in mysterious ways, and gives us very little to work with. It seems like an old story now, but many of you will remember that the specific features of the PS5, its basic features, and its user interface, remained secretly shrouded in literalism. weeks before the console launches. Tentpole titles, such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, remain sealed behind closed doors.
To be fair to the organization, it opened up a bit earlier this year: Jim Ryan scheduled an infrequent interview with GQ and casually made half a dozen key announcements, including the existence of a PSVR headset new generation. The consequence, for hardcore fans, is that we probably won’t hear any executive jokes again until late summer; a disappointing disappointing state occurred in February, and the PlayStation block has been a bit moderate since then. That’s how things are with Sony in 2021.
It’s hard not to look over the fence and feel some annoyance of jealousy; while PlayStation has a soon-to-be-loaded software list, Microsoft is making big strides that threaten to break the status quo. We’ve seen it complete the acquisition of Bethesda, which surpasses Sony’s operations, while its Game Pass initiative, regardless of financial viability, makes games like Returnal seem like a theft in broad daylight by comparison. PS More, to Sony’s credit, has exceptional value right now, but as time goes on, PlayStation will have to react.
Frankly, the Bethesda thing has changed the game, and while we don’t expect Sony to tip over and tickle its belly, we’ll have to invest. The strength of the Japanese giant’s first-hand studios is out of the question and its pipeline remains one of the best in the industry, but with Japan Studio closed, Media Molecule seems seemingly tied to most popular Dreams and Sony San Diego creating MLB The Show 21 for multiple platforms: the previously unstoppable PlayStation Studios is starting to get some light.
It is very difficult to criticize a platform owner who has been receiving candidates for the Game of the Year every year, but with box office games that take longer to develop than ever, Insomniac Games, Guerrilla Games, Sony Santa Monica, Sony Bend Studio, etc. Do Sucker Punch and Naughty Dog carry all the burden of first-party development? Ryan’s said PlayStation is committed to organic growth and we’ve seen all of its students increase significantly in recent years, but there will be a calculation in a few years when Microsoft teams accelerate.
Sony, of course, will continue to do what is always done, which is to make innovative games. But it looks like some things will have to change: the news cycle, right now, is dominated by a very disruptive competitor and we can’t help but feel that it needs to make a little more noise on its own. In addition, it will have to work harder than ever to justify the value of its internally developed games, because its competitor will be reducing its production later in the generation by a nominal monthly fee. This is a problem.
The consequence of buying Bethesda means that PlayStation will probably spend more than ever on timed exclusives (we know that at one point I was trying to block Starfield), but will have to do more than just that. Probably, at some point, it will need a response to Game Pass, and while the platform’s first-owner pipeline is still as impressive as ever, there’s an argument to argue that a stability of studies, which had been worldwide, it now looks tiny compared to the competition.
Most important of all is that the moment Sony sits on the sidelines is probably over. It will need the energy of the PS3 era to overcome the noise made by the Green team; these long periods of silence of the platform holder cannot continue much longer. As PlayStation fans, there’s still a lot to be excited about, but it’s the owner of the platform really making the most of everything you have in your arsenal? Competition generates excellence, of course, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the PS5 won’t have an easy journey.
The glove has, in many ways, been thrown away; we hope Sony meets the challenge.
What do you think of the PS5 game state now that 2021 is well underway? Do you think Sony’s messaging has been as strong as it could be? Leave it all in the comments section below.