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Jason Schreier: Sony’s Obsession With Blockbusters Is Stirring Unrest Within PlayStation Empire

SegaShack

Member
Wow this kind of confirms the assumptions people had about Sony and Jim Ryan. That really sucks. Have to rely on 3rd Party RPGs for Japanese games now I suppose.
 

Mr Moose

Member
No one asked for a TLoU remake, if it's legit, they are fucking idiots and I hope that shit bombs.
Would've loved a Days Gone 2.
giphy.gif
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
My takeaways:
  • I thought Days Gone 2 sold enough to deserve a sequel. A new IP is always welcome though. My only concern is that Bend Studio will take another 5 years to release a game, which is not good.
  • Most gamers (including me) don't want a TLOU remake. However, from Sony's perspective, it does make a lot of sense. When the TLOU HBO TV show releases, there will be a wave of new people wanting to try the game and its sequel for the first time. A roughly 10-year old game will likely put them off. However, a TLOU game with TLOU2 graphical fidelity and controls will be very well received.
  • Jason presented Herman Hulst as a bad guy, but I thought he asked valid questions about budget and resources. One can argue that Sony should back their teams, but everyone needs to work within budget constraints.
  • I was hoping for that VAG team as a permanent new addition to Sony's first-party teams. After all, Sony does need more first-party teams now more than ever. A shame about that!
  • It would be a huge disappointment if we don't get at least 1 new IP from Naughty Dog this generation. That'd be my biggest disappointment.
  • While Sony is focusing on AAA blockbuster games (which makes sense, because no one really does it like Sony), I hope they also take more risks. They are the market leader after all.
Hoping for Xbox to take more steps in the right direction and put pressure on Sony, so all gamers can eat well this generation.
 
Both The Last Of Us remake and Days Gone 2 not getting the greenlight (alongside with Bend being put to work on Uncharted) happened under Shawn Layden as Hermen Hulst wasn't named head of WWS until late 2019.

As a huge Playstation Fanboy, this is a huge disappointment.

SIE is done, sinking ship at this point, absolute chaos & disaster.

Rip Playstation, 1994-Jim Ryan.


Reading both threads here and on ERA.... There are some really some hot takes in both threads. In think some people need to chill. Anyway, one of the post on ERA :

Nobody is reading it...always expect nobody to read any article with more than a headline.
Yeah the amount of takes on this thread is amazing.

Schreier's article in a nutshell:
  • Sony's Visual Arts Service Group (SVASG)
    • SVAGS always had a supporting role.
    • SVAGS wanted to create something from scratch themselves.
    • They formed a new internal 'team' and they started working on a TLOU remake. It's not 'clear' if they were commisioned to do that, or if it was their own idea; or whatever reasoning there was for a TLOU remake to be their first project.
      • The article does not explain this decission, it only mentions that the new team 'was to expand on the companies most succesful franchises'.
      • (altough one can argue that it makes sense given the HBO TV Series).
    • SVAGS didn't get the necessary budget & support because of reasons not mentioned in the article (this seems to be a key question in the story), so we don't really know what was going on unless Schreier can tell us more.
    • Hermen Hulst wasnt impressed with the progress and found it to be over-budget for a remake. Project moved back to Naughty Dog (which makes sense)
    • SVAGS ended up being support. People left the 'new team'. Which makes sense since they are back to where they started.
  • Bend Studio:
    • The Days Gone-IP seems to have been put on hold for now because because reception wasnt as expected and it had too lengthy development.
    • Bend was asked to help out on ND's multiplayer game, and work on 'an Uncharted' game.
    • Bend disagreed ("we dont want to become a Naughty Dog 'North') and gave back the Uncharted-project so they could also work on a new game of their own, next to supporting the ND multiplayer game. The state of the new game is unknown, it's still very early.
  • Japan Studio:
    • basically got dissolved because Sony doesn't have the faith that they could produce games that were big successes world wide.
Conclusion:
- Sony is prioritizing their big franchises and is asking other studios to help out.
- A new team (sourced from SVAGS + new talent) was put together to work on expanding Sony's franchises, but they 'devolved' back into a supporting role.
- We currently don't know what Sony's strategy is regarding new/smaller IPs, internally or externally.

 

ripeavocado

Banned
Please don't put the name of that disgusting person in the title.


Anyway Sony strategies sucks from a customer point of view, they need to produce new things they don't have to be only pretentious cinematic blockbusters.

I am reducing the amount of money I spend on games because there is not much I really care about, I wonder how many people will do the same long term.


Have fun Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo et al... burning the game industry to the ground like hollywood is doing with movies.
 

Mmnow

Member
Those reviewers have way too much influence if Day's gone "critical reception" partially steered its sequel into cancellation . SIE's management needs to wake up and realize these people aren't representative of the community.
When a dev releases a game to critics, there aren't any surprises. They know exactly what the upsides and downsides of the game they're releasing are.

If the critical reception killed Days Gone, that's code for Sony bosses not having the confidence in Bend to make a more successful game. Critics just picked up on what they already knew internally.

Sony aren't throwing a potentially successful franchise under the bus because of a bad metacritic score unless its not as potentially successful as fans like the presume.
 

ripeavocado

Banned
My takeaways:
  • I thought Days Gone 2 sold enough to deserve a sequel. A new IP is always welcome though. My only concern is that Bend Studio will take another 5 years to release a game, which is not good.
  • Most gamers (including me) don't want a TLOU remake. However, from Sony's perspective, it does make a lot of sense. When the TLOU HBO TV show releases, there will be a wave of new people wanting to try the game and its sequel for the first time. A roughly 10-year old game will likely put them off. However, a TLOU game with TLOU2 graphical fidelity and controls will be very well received.
  • Jason presented Herman Hulst as a bad guy, but I thought he asked valid questions about budget and resources. One can argue that Sony should back their teams, but everyone needs to work within budget constraints.
  • I was hoping for that VAG team as a permanent new addition to Sony's first-party teams. After all, Sony does need more first-party teams now more than ever. A shame about that!
  • It would be a huge disappointment if we don't get at least 1 new IP from Naughty Dog this generation. That'd be my biggest disappointment.
  • While Sony is focusing on AAA blockbuster games (which makes sense, because no one really does it like Sony), I hope they also take more risks. They are the market leader after all.
Hoping for Xbox to take more steps in the right direction and put pressure on Sony, so all gamers can eat well this generation.

Days Gone 2 is not going to take 5 years because it's a fucking sequel and they have built all the tech they need and are using Unreal Engine that is updated by another company for everyone that uses it.
 

sainraja

Member
I'm not defending this practice but full remakes tend to be a lot more work than a simple remaster in case you didn't know.
The team that is no longer with them is who decided to do a TLOU remake so they could go on to make Uncharted. I do agree that TLOU was an odd choice to try to do a remake of. It doesn't need it. Maybe they should have been looking older PS games that have not be re-introduced yet.
My point is they had TLOU on PS3, the Remaster on PS4 (which is playable on PS5), and now a PS5 remake. What is this? GTAV?
Well, based on the article, they were going to improve and upgrade the gameplay mechanics as well. So not a direct remaster (as we saw on the PS4) but still odd that it's the game the team chose vs Uncharted 1 (I know they said it'd be harder and would take more time.)
 
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Last of Us remake seems bizarre, but then I don’t like remakes to begin with (or Last of Us for that matter), but the rest seems sensible. And I agree with Tom Warren - it’s coming to PC (and GamePass? :messenger_beaming:). Definitely to cash in on the tv show. People will cry on here but they will still lap up any old shit they serve, because Sony.

Sony is this kind of game, and it’s been wildly successful for them, so of course they’re going to double down. Jim Ryan doesn’t give a fuck what you think and while the rabid fan base keeps buying everything available, why should he?

Seems like the policy is to have a few big budget games with accompanying tv series or movies, and just focus on those. Kind of ironic in some ways, but will probably work for the mass market. For the players? Not so sure.
 

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
What you talking about?
What one got to do with other?

Original post
Listen if you like AAA games that that are walking movie simulator games, then this is good news for you. Personally what attracts me to PlayStation is games with different gameplay like bloodborne, gravity rush, persona. I’m just sad at the new direction Sony is going in and I just don’t know if I’m gonna play the ps5 much this gen, no Days gone sequel is just sa


Now as far as the last of us remake, I have a feeling they gonna make Joel look more crazier and really feel like he is truly a bad guy, so it would make people like Abby more.

All I gotta say is I love the ps1-2 and ps4(somewhat). An it seems the days of AA games with at least some good marketing is over for Sony.
You responded

Since when bloodborne and persona are small games?

it hurts belgian football GIF by Univision Deportes
 
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Guilty_AI

Member
rebels season 3 episode 21 GIF by Star Wars


Those are some massive generalizations. I know plenty of Sony fans like myself love those smaller games like Gravity Rush, Tearaway, Everybody's Golf, Sackboy and others. I don't want them to go anywhere so yeah, I'll complain.
"you" and those "plenty" are unfortunately is in the minority.
Besides, its not like there's any shortage of smaller games nowadays so you should be fine, as long as you're not one of those types that care more about the "Playstation exclusive" slapped on the cover rather than the game itself
 

Perrott

Member

II_JumPeR_I

Member
Funny how folks made fun about MS only doing halo etc and nowadays Sony is doing basicly this.
Another remake nobody askes for, for 80€ lol
New IPs my ass.
Naughty dog nowadays only produces super serious and depressive games.
 
1 - obviously they will prioritize what is more popular
2 - we don't have the full stories behind the decisions

That being said, I don't agree with everything, especially the apparent cancellation of a days gone sequel, that game is amazing and there are very good reasons why it got great words of mouth. It plays well, its stories and characters are a breath of fresh air compared to what the industry spills out these days and motorcycles... Maybe there will be motorcycles in TLoU3, that's why!
 

ethomaz

Banned
Oh yep, this data is from last year, before PS+ collection was a thing.
The data on the link is after Plus Collection.

And you need to read: “Every estimate is ±10% (and bigger for small values).”
They have a big margin of error that I already explained with GTS numbers that was off by over 1 million.
 
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Hypereides

Gold Member
When a dev releases a game to critics, there aren't any surprises. They know exactly what the upsides and downsides of the game they're releasing are.

If the critical reception killed Days Gone, that's code for Sony bosses not having the confidence in Bend to make a more successful game. Critics just picked up on what they already knew internally.

Sony aren't throwing a potentially successful franchise under the bus because of a bad metacritic score unless its not as potentially successful as fans like the presume.

You say that, but I wouldn't put it past these suits to glance at aggregated scores, from supposedly professional critics, and derive a conclusion based on that. These people usually lack the ability to put themselves in the place of an actual gamer.
 
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TalentedMrJ

Member
Gamepass has the fanboys shook. I keep saying this. The service isn't that good. It consist of MS 1st party which is nowhere near the quality of Sony/Nintendo. Older 3rd party games that most have already played. And a ton of throwaway indie games. Just last night I booted up the Series S, browsed, found nothing of interest, and turned it off.

After 30 years of gaming I can safely say that no one makes better games than Nintendo with Sony a close 2nd. MS is behind in 3rd by a country mile. Which explains their spending spree trying to sure up their biggest deficiency, a lack of QUALITY exclusives.

These threads are funny. It's like the ones panicking are new PlayStation fans unaware of their 1st party track record. The games are coming. RELAX.
 

Elysion

Banned
A TLoU remake? Wut? What‘s next, a Ghost of Tsushima remake?

Though I wonder if this supposed remake could be part of some kind of TLoU collection for PS5, which would include TLoU 1 and 2 (with updated graphics), as well as Factions. That would certainly provide enough value to warrant a full 70$ price (though I assume Factions could still be bought separately).
 

Trogdor1123

Gold Member
I'll wait and see how this works out but I'm kind of flip flopping on my ps5.

Some the stuff in the article doesn't bother me at all as they may know the other niches are still being filled.

I also don't think it's as bad as it seems to make it sound either
 

Metnut

Member
Who the hell wants a TLOU remake? Over Days Gone 2?

Sony has earned trust with their track record but I want to see innovation and new games and IP and not just iterations of previous hits.
 

SLB1904

Banned
Since forever ? They're infinitely lower budget than a game from Naughty Dog. Persona especially. They're not indies, but more in the middle range cathegory
What? Show me another jrpg the scope and graphics like persona 5. Dark souls sekiro isnt AAA. Got it
 

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
Jim Ryan going to sink this ship faster than Don Mattrick tvtvtv.
ezgif-7-868988c99236.gif

PlayStation is running this train without brakes. Nothing can stop this train.

Even if the majority of normal gamers were leaving, the hardcore fanboy crowd will always have their back.
 

Great Hair

Banned
FUCK B L O O M B E R G
very funny lol GIF


Update: Sony has reached out to GamesIndustry.biz with the following statement denying the Bloomberg report:

“While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false," the statement reads.

"We have not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production."
 
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yurinka

Member
So if the article text is the quoted part I read, the TLDR version of the article is:
  • New San Diego studo wanted to remake Uncharted 1 but later decided to move to TLOU remake because saw it easier as their first project, originally planned to be packaged with TLOU2 PS5 version
  • When Herman Hulst was put in charge he wasn't impressed by the TLOU remake, thought its budget was too high and moved its lead to ND
  • Days Gone 2 was pitched while ago but the pitch wasn't approved (which doesn't mean it can be greenlighted later)
  • ND is also working on a multiplayer game (TLOU2 MP?) and a new Uncharted game (Uncharted 5?), both had Bend supporting them
  • Bend then stop did supporting the new Uncharted game and moved to make their own next game instead, fearful of ending merged into ND
  • Sony informed developers that it no longer wants to produce smaller games that are only successful in Japan (so now they want games with global appeal)
Which means the upcoming games from Naughty Dog, Bend and the new San Diego studio are:
  • New Uncharted game (Uncharted 5 or spin-off?), by ND + Bend
  • Multiplayer game (TLOU2 MP?), by ND + Bend
  • TLOU2 PS5 + TLOU remake packaged together, by ND + new San Diego studio
  • New Bend game (seems isn't Days Gone 2)
I'd like to see Days Gone 2 some day, but if we get Uncharted 5, TLOU2 MP as standalone game, TLOU remake + TLOU2 PS5 pack and a new Bend Studio game it sounds as great news for me and I think people will love them and as always they will sell and get review very well.

I don't see where the drama is, you motherfuckers. Specially those who try to assing these decisions to Jim Ryan when they were made before he was in charge, and Herman Hulst is the one who manages the 1st party studios. And his decision here was to not be happy with the TLOU remake said it had too much budget and moving its lead into ND, and later to allow Bend to stop supporing ND and allow them to make their own Bend game. And to stop producing small games focused on Japan only (which means to focus on global appeal instead, double down on AAA and leave smallest games to the indies, nothing bad).
 
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bitbydeath

Gold Member
The data on the link is after Plus Collection.

And you need to read: “Every estimate is ±10% (and bigger for small values).”

They have a big margin of error that I already explained with GTS numbers that was off by over 1 million.
Well even if it were a million off we’d be looking around 8 million sold which is still very high.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
This is pretty pathetic. All of it.

Sony falls for some SJW journalists who unfairly criticized the game for not having black zombies, focusing on white male bikers and other insane things instead of actually playing the game themselves and looking at the fan feedback. It's a fantastic first game from a studio that typically only made portable games. Now that studio is a support studio???

The funny thing is that Death Stranding was a critical hit, but not a commercial hit so they didnt greenlight it either. So if the game wins the most GOTYs in 2019, it doesnt deserve a sequel either. Not sure wtf kinda metrics they are looking at.

Shocking that they are taking resources AWAY from like one of their 4 productive studios to do a remake that wouldve been done without their involvement. Who here will pick to have ND do a remake instead of a new game? It's shocking how poorly Sony is run right now. Herman Hurst is even worse than Jimbo. No common sense. This will delay every single Naughty Dog game on PS5.

This leaves Sony with like 5 AAA studios.
Naughty Dog
Santa Monica
Insomniac
Guerrilla Games
Sucker Punch

Now they are supposed to compete with Microsoft's 24 studios. Hilarious. The Sony as we had come to love it in the PS3 and PS4 era is gone.

- Zipper
- Evolution Studios
- Team ICO
- Japan Studios
- Sony Bend
- Incognito Studio
- PS All Stars studio

3rd Party Studios making Sony IPs
- Ready At Dawn
- Quantic Dream
- KojiPro
- From Software

The Sony today is a shell of what it used to be.
 
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Interfectum

Member
Gamepass has the fanboys shook. I keep saying this. The service isn't that good. It consist of MS 1st party which is nowhere near the quality of Sony/Nintendo. Older 3rd party games that most have already played. And a ton of throwaway indie games. Just last night I booted up the Series S, browsed, found nothing of interest, and turned it off.

After 30 years of gaming I can safely say that no one makes better games than Nintendo with Sony a close 2nd. MS is behind in 3rd by a country mile. Which explains their spending spree trying to sure up their biggest deficiency, a lack of QUALITY exclusives.

These threads are funny. It's like the ones panicking are new PlayStation fans unaware of their 1st party track record. The games are coming. RELAX.
The games are coming for both platforms. The difference here is Xbox has a software / hardware infrastructure gaming hasn't seen before and people are already taking to even without new content. Wait until those 23 studios start putting out exclusives.
 

Bryank75

Banned
So....

ND are doing TLOU remake and a Factions game.

SP just brought out Ghost.... so they are 3 years out for next game.

Insomniac Just had MM and will have R&C soon.... could be a year or 2 till Spider-man 2.

SMS is on GOW and secret project.... one year out and an unknown respectively.

GG is on Horizon FW and a shooter of some kind.

Polyphony is doing their thing

San Diego is making multiplat MLB

I mean, it just doesn't seem like that much..... 2 new IP's? maybe 3 if you include Bend.

Where is the expansion? Where are all the new possibilities?

No fighting game, no WRPG, no in house JRPG....

How can you own EVO and not have a fighting game in the 1st party?
 

ethomaz

Banned
Well even if it were a million off we’d be looking around 8 million sold which is still very high.
In the GTS case in 2019.

Look at others examples.

Gran Turismo 5 in that site: 19,100,000
Gran Turismo 5 official shipment: 11,950,000

7 million difference.

Days Gone crossed 5 million sales late 2020... there is no way it is near 8 million.
 
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MistBreeze

Member
I don't get the harassment of Sony lately it is vicious and feels like an agenda

I do not know about this story but people are whining every day based on rumurs

look at the industry now it is far from innovation from all the big 3

Sony is only about big safe AAA games

nintindo did not release an AAA game for multiple years now all wii u ports for the most part

microsoft is only gamepass with zero AAA game until now

so Sony if bad is better than the rest at least currently

be gratefull at least we are getting Returnal and Ratchet 2 AAA games in a span of two months from Sony while we are getting nothing from microsoft or nintindo
 

Dabaus

Banned
You'll get your new Bend IP Featuring angry woke Waymenz always online third person, multiplayer only, zombie survival base builder GAAS for 70 bucks and youll like.
 
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Mmnow

Member
You say that, but I wouldn't put it past these suits to glance at aggregated scores, from supposedly professional critics, and derive a conclusion based on that. These people usually lack the ability to put themselves in the place of an actual gamer.
I don't disagree that it'd potentially be a metric. But it'll be one of a number, and not a particularly important one.

Equally, the idea that critics trashed it (they didn't) and all gamers loved it (not even close) is a fantasy.

It's more the idea that the critics destroyed this multi-million dollar sequel that has millions of diehard fans waiting for it is just funny to me.
 
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Bryank75

Banned
This is pretty pathetic. All of it.

Sony falls from some SJW journalists who unfairly criticized the game for not having black zombies, focusing on white male bikers and other insane things instead of actually playing the game themselves and looking at the fan feedback. It's a fantastic first game from a studio that typically only made portable games. Now that studio is a support studio???

The funny thing is that Death Stranding was a critical hit, but not a commercial hit so they didnt greenlight it either. So if the game wins the most GOTYs in 2019, it doesnt deserve a sequel either. Not sure wtf kinda metrics they are looking at.

Shocking that they are taking resources AWAY from like one of their 4 productive studios to do a remake that wouldve been done without their involvement. Who here will pick to have ND do a remake instead of a new game? It's shocking how poorly Sony is run right now. Herman Hurst is even worse than Jimbo. No common sense. This will delay every single Naughty Dog game on PS5.

This leaves Sony with like 5 AAA studios.
Naughty Dog
Santa Monica
Insomniac
Guerrilla Games
Sucker Punch

Now they are supposed to compete with Microsoft's 24 studios. Hilarious. The Sony as we had come to love it in the PS3 and PS4 era is gone.

- Zipper
- Evolution Studios
- Team ICO
- Japan Studios
- Sony Bend
- Incognito Studio
- PS All Stars studio

3rd Party Studios making Sony IPs
- Ready At Dawn
- Quantic Dream
- KojiPro
- From Software

The Sony today is a shell of what it used to be.
Exactly. Absolutely 100%

nearly 3.5 billion made this year and not one serious studio bought.

And to have ND doing a remake of TLOU...what a fucking waste.
 
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