The Update that the Head of PlayStation Studios Promised
Introduction
It is no secret that PlayStation has been increasing its efforts to expand its live service offerings by acquiring several studios that specialize in this genre. The first major acquisition to do so was the purchase of Bungie, the developer of the popular game Destiny, at the beginning of 2022. Since then, Sony’s gaming division has acquired two additional studios, namely Haven Studios and Firewalk Studios, the latter of which comprises several Bungie veterans.
The addition of these studios to PlayStation’s portfolio is part of a larger push to develop more live-service games, which are designed to offer players long-term engagement through regular updates and new content releases. Live-service games have become increasingly popular in recent years, with titles like Fortnite, Destiny, and Apex Legends attracting millions of players worldwide.
What the Head of PlayStation Studios Said
PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst has said that they have ten live-service games currently in development. However, he was quick to note that this does not mean they are all similar in style and scale to Fortnite or Destiny. Instead, the company is aiming to create a variety of games that target different genres and are released on different schedules.
This strategic move by Sony is seen as an attempt to expand its market reach and attract more players to its platform. With the increasing popularity of live-service games, it is likely that PlayStation will continue to invest in this genre and release more titles in the future.
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Vision for the Future
According to Hulst, the team responsible for the upcoming multiplayer focus games at PlayStation is confident in their ability to create worlds and stories that will satisfy the tastes of loyal PlayStation fans. This should be reassuring for gamers who appreciate the immersive experiences found in previous AAA titles.
Nevertheless, for those concerned by this shift in direction, there is no need to panic. Single-player projects, such as the highly-anticipated Wolverine game, are still being developed by PlayStation.
PlayStation’s New Gaming Project
In addition to the types of games they’ll be releasing, it’s also been revealed that the Firewalk Studios-led project will seemingly not be a PlayStation exclusive. Instead, it will apparently be released for the PC as well since desktop systems have often been one of the biggest markets for live service games. It’s currently unclear, though, whether the other projects are similarly going to be released for Windows as PlayStation Studios is yet to provide any concrete details on their release strategy.
Wrapping Up
With all this said, it’s starting to look like a new PlayStation era is set to arrive soon with the impending release of these live service games. However, only time will tell if these projects can indeed end up becoming successful.
