It’s been a strange year for PlayStation, hasn’t it? Objectively, the organization is currently at the peak of its power: the revenues are ridiculous, it rakes in more prize nominations than the rest of the industry put together, and the PS5 is such a success that it has forced retailers to implement lotteries. . and other innovative technologies to meet demand. But for the most engaged fans – the kind of people who visit sites, like Push Square several times a day – it has honestly been pretty boring for one long time.
In terms of daily traffic, we enjoyed record visits last year, but it certainly wasn’t the news cycle that kept us going. We’ve noticed that Sony has been getting closer to Nintendo-style public relations for a while now; it works in secret, in mysterious ways, and gives us very little to work with. It feels like ancient history now, but many of you will remember that the specifics of the PS5 – its core features and user interface – were hidden to literal secrecy. weeks before the console is released. Tent pole titles, such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, remain sealed behind closed doors.
To be fair to the organization, things started a bit earlier this year: Jim Ryan scheduled a rare interview with GQ and casually rattled off half a dozen major announcements – including the existence of a next-generation PSVR headset . As a result, for the hardcore fans, we won’t hear another beep from the executive until late in the summer; a disappointing state of affairs took place in February and the PlayStation Blog has since been somewhat subdued. This is exactly how it will be with Sony in 2021.
It’s hard not to look over the fence and feel a few pangs of jealousy; while PlayStation has a relatively loaded line of upcoming software, Microsoft is making big strides that threaten to disrupt the status quo. We’ve seen it complete the Bethesda acquisition, compromising Sony’s first-party operations, while the Game Pass initiative – regardless of financial viability – makes games like Returnal look like daylight robbery. PS More, to Sony’s credit, is currently an excellent value – but as time goes by, PlayStation will have to respond.
In all fairness, the Bethesda thing has changed the game, and while we don’t expect Sony to turn around and get its stomach tickled, it’s going to have to invest. The power of the Japanese giant’s first-party studios is not in question, and the pipeline remains one of the best in the industry, but now that Japan Studio has closed, Media Molecule appears to be stuck with the largely unpopular Dreams and Sony San Diego. Making MLB The Show 21 for multiple platforms – the previously unstoppable PlayStation Studios is starting to look a little light.
It’s really hard to criticize a platform holder knocking out annual Game of the Year nominees, but as blockbuster games take longer to develop than ever before, Insomniac Games, Guerrilla Games, Sony Santa Monica, Sony Bend Studio, Sucker Punch and Naughty Dog only bear the brunt of first-party development? Ryan said PlayStation is committed to organic growth, and we’ve seen all of the studio’s staff grow significantly in recent years, but there will be a cutoff in a few years when Microsoft’s teams know about it.
Sony will of course continue to do what it has always done, which is to make groundbreaking games. But it feels like some things are going to have to change: The news cycle is currently dominated by a very disruptive competitor, and we can’t help but feel like he needs to make a bit more noise on his own. In addition, it will have to work harder than ever to justify the value of its internally developed games as its competitor will shrink its output later in the generation for a nominal monthly fee. That is a problem.
The fallout from the Bethesda buyout means PlayStation will likely spend more than ever on timed exclusives – we know it tried to lock down Starfield at some point – but it will have to do more than just that. It will likely need an answer to Game Pass at some point, and while the platform holder’s first-party pipeline remains as impressive as ever, there’s an argument that a once-world-renowned stable of studios now looks miniscule compared to to the competition.
Most important of all, the days when Sony sat on the sidelines are probably coming to an end. It takes the energy of the PS3 era to overcome the sound of the Team in Green; these long periods of platform cradle silence cannot last much longer. As PlayStation fans, there’s still so much to rave about, but it’s the platform holder really take full advantage of everything it has in its arsenal? Competition brings excellence, of course – and it’s increasingly clear that the PS5 won’t have it easy.
The gauntlet is thrown in many ways; let’s hope Sony is up to the challenge.
What do you think of the state of play for PS5 now that 2021 is well underway? Do you feel that Sony’s coverage has been as strong as possible? Let it all go in the comments below.