• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Could Sony be saving their big announcements for The Game Awards?

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
It seems like we have 3 plausible scenarios for PlayStations next big event...

1) They have a big E3 esque show (PSX) in or around July/August.

2) Sony eschews a big show for 6 - 8 State of Play showcases each year because they find spacing out the buzz/marketing is more effective than one show per year.

3) Sony has looked at the following data and pivoted hard to Sir Geoff Keighlys Game Awards which take place in December...

TGA2020_STAT-SHEET_WIDE_V1R1-1.jpg


Source: https://thegameawards.com/news/the-game-awards-2020-viewership-increases-84

Is it possible that Sony looks at modest projections for the 2021 Game Awards (north of 100 million viewers) and believe that's the most effective time to drop the next batch of high profile game reveals? Early 2022 is when supply should meet demand for these consoles. Wouldn't it make sense to start your big marketing push as that happens?

For context, Nintendos June E3 event had 3.1 million viewers. Microsofts show had 2.3 million according to Steam Hatchet...


EDIT: Accidentally posted this in the wrong discussion. Apologies.
 
Last edited:

Haggard

Banned
Sony has pretty much made clear by now, that they don`t care about any 3rd party events anymore.

They just announce their stuff on their own events which are being held whenever they actually have stuff to show.
Imho that is the right strategy. We all know what happens if you have "forced shows" despite not having to show anything ...see last E3.
 

reksveks

Member
I think it's going to be a combination of blogs and maybe an event in early August. You might see 1 big game at The Games Award based on previous years.

Early August cause its post EA, pre Gamescom
 
Last edited:

sublimit

Banned
Not sure its the competition, a bigger factor is the fact that the consoles are still supply constrained and they are selling out.
That too.

I honestly don't expect anything significant from them before Christmas unless MS finally starts showing their big games before that but it's very unlikely.
 
Last edited:

Gaelyon

Gold Member
State of play are mainly designed to promote some 1st party/exclusive agreement game scheduled to be available in the coming year, with a sprinkle of indies that don't have the marketing power by themselves.
It's flexible as they can make as many SoP as needed and they're not tied to any external pressure, but still can be rescheduled easily.

Then Playstation Experience type of events will be planned for major announcement such as new major 1st party lineup (new IP or top tier game like GOW) or new tech (PSVR2 for instance), within a 2 years max release window (hopefully).
It seem quite coherent to me, and expecting major reveals twice a year is not realistic when AAA games takes typically 3-5 years of work.
 
Last edited:

MrFunSocks

Banned
I think the more likely scenario is they just don't care because they're sitting nicely at the top, selling every console they can make, and have no need to have big announcements at trailer shows. Why spend money promoting something that sells out instantly without any promoting?

I'm not saying this as a dig against sony either, don't take it that way. They're the market leaders, arguably I guess with Nintendo outselling them for a long time, and they can't make enough consoles to keep up with demand. It wouldn't make sense to basically show big trailers for unannounced games when it's not going to get them any increased sales at all. The smart business would wait until manufacturing has caught up and overtaken demand, then start the marketing and promotional bombs of new game announcements and trailers.
 
Last edited:

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
They are saving them for whenever they feel the need or pressure from the competition to show/announce them.

For now they have zero incentive to show anything.

This is really good levels of insulting the competition and not attacking (blaming) Sony at the same time. I dig the hustle! :D

Watch what happens when Flight Sim, Forza and Halo launch throughout the peak period. If Sony dont think thats the competition showing stuff then they are crazy.
 
Last edited:

MrFunSocks

Banned
This is really good levels of insulting the competition and not attacking Sony at the same time. I dig the hustle! :D

You watch what happens when Flight Sim, Forza and Halo launch throughout the peak period. If Sony dont think thats the competition showing stuff then they are crazy.
But the PS5 will still easily outsell the XSX/S throughout those periods, and it's still looking unlikely that they'll have excess stock sitting on store shelves by then - especially for Flight Sim's launch in 2 weeks or so. From a business perspective it doesn't make any sense for sony to drop big announcements when it can't actually help their sales or public opinion.
 
They just dont have anything. They're not holding anything back for an event ran by someone else or themselves. Its been this way since they showed the same fucking games for 3 consecutive E3s. The company has mismanaged itself into creative bankruptcy and will remain there as long as scalpers and the uncritical lowest common denominator consumer drone-class allow. Theres no knight on a white horse comming to save us with big suprising announcements. Just get excited for next horizion/gow/tlou movie and then get excited for more of the same.
 

sendit

Member
This is really good levels of insulting the competition and not attacking Sony at the same time. I dig the hustle! :D

You watch what happens when Flight Sim, Forza and Halo launch throughout the peak period. If Sony dont think thats the competition showing stuff then they are crazy.

Lets be a realistic here. The only game on that list that is a system seller is Halo. No one is buying a Xbox to play Flight Sim or Forza.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
You guys convinced yourselves that Sony has some kind of grand plan but the reality is they simply didn’t have any games ready to show off.

But you guys continue hype yourself and right after get disappointed for heck of it.
 
Last edited:

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
But the PS5 will still easily outsell the XSX/S throughout those periods, and it's still looking unlikely that they'll have excess stock sitting on store shelves by then - especially for Flight Sim's launch in 2 weeks or so. From a business perspective it doesn't make any sense for sony to drop big announcements when it can't actually help their sales or public opinion.

I don't think the Xbox will ever outsell the PS5 outside of maybe the odd freak month for some of various reasons. None of that is a focus for me. I care about good games and my comments were based on Sony should be showing good games. I hope no one at sony has the mentality of "MS will never outsell us so we can just show and have nothing for an entire peak period" that would be shit.

I want there to be good games on all my devices and I hope the PS5 has some great games for xmas this year.
 

ZywyPL

Banned
They have re-registered the Playstation Experience trademark recently, not without a reason I guess. That being said, the question is whether they actually have something to show. With just a handful of studios, from which some (most?) released their games just recently, what are the options? Horizon, GT7, and Factions 2, that's all I can think of at the moment, so the question is do they really need a big event to show just a few titles? A dedicated SoP episode will do more than enough.
 

Moonjt9

Member
I could see Sony doing some big reveal at TGA but for a big third party exclusive type thing, not their first party lineup. They are really showing their desire to be and do their own thing with PlayStation Studios brand. I’d expect a late July early August PSX event. They will have something to hype people up for the holidays.
 

FranXico

Member
You guys convinced yourselves that Sony has some kind of grand plan but the reality is they simply didn’t have any games ready to show off.

But you guys continue hype yourself and right after get disappointed for heck of it.
Sony literally said what this stream was about, and said more news to follow during this summer. They don't tell people to wait for next E3 year after year.

I get the desire to make it seem like they have no games, but reality is a different thing altogether.
 
Last edited:

Fredrik

Member
They have re-registered the Playstation Experience trademark recently, not without a reason I guess. That being said, the question is whether they actually have something to show. With just a handful of studios, from which some (most?) released their games just recently, what are the options? Horizon, GT7, and Factions 2, that's all I can think of at the moment, so the question is do they really need a big event to show just a few titles? A dedicated SoP episode will do more than enough.
You make it sound like we’re entering a period of game drought on PS5. But I seriously doubt that they don’t have anything to show, what else have we got from Sony WW Studios besides Miles, Ratchet and Returnal? Isn’t there like 15 studios? Sony likes to buy exclusivites too so I can’t see any issues doing a show about what’s coming.
 
Just FYI, the Games Awards and E3 viewership numbers are completely different metrics.

One is total viewer including VOD across all channels and the other is peak concurrent viewers across Twitch and YT only.
 
Last edited:

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
They'll do a standalone show at some point because they'll need to reveal PSVR2 and its launch line-up.
 

sublimit

Banned
This is really good levels of insulting the competition and not attacking Sony at the same time. I dig the hustle! :D

You watch what happens when Flight Sim, Forza and Halo launch throughout the peak period. If Sony dont think thats the competition showing stuff then they are crazy.
A niche AF flight sim, an arcade racer and a Halo that MS still hasn't shown anything from its campaign. Yeah i'm pretty sure Sony are shaking in their boots lol. :D
 

Kimahri

Banned
They are saving them for whenever they feel the need or pressure from the competition to show/announce them.

For now they have zero incentive to show anything.
Kinda weird situation really. It's flying off the shelves but I've never been less interested in a console. There is like nothing there right now. It doesn't have one single exclusive game I'm even interested in playing. And the ones that are, are far, far away.
 

Ellery

Member
There is no substitute to a big Sony show.

Everything that will be worthy will be shown at Sony events. This doesn't mean that there won't be stuff at other events, but the god tier of gaming stuff from Naughty Dog, Santa Monica etc. will be at dedicated big Playstation events.

(It also depends a bit on when what trailer is ready and they can show something, but that is also a factor of when Sony plans a show. They would not hold a big event without their first party studios to have something to share)
 

SLB1904

Banned
Kinda weird situation really. It's flying off the shelves but I've never been less interested in a console. There is like nothing there right now. It doesn't have one single exclusive game I'm even interested in playing. And the ones that are, are far, far away.
thats your own problem lmfao
 

SLB1904

Banned
Did I say anything to suggest otherwise?

That this is all it takes to make you "laugh your fucking ass off" is quite impressive. I wonder how you respond to jokes and such, you know, things that are actually funny?

Go watch some Anthony Jeselnik and then come back to me, if you survive.
i mean you take a broad topic and made about yourself. also thanks for the suggestion. i like comedy.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
A niche AF flight sim, an arcade racer and a Halo that MS still hasn't shown anything from its campaign. Yeah i'm pretty sure Sony are shaking in their boots lol. :D

Respect the bias bro! :) it's all good. Let's see how halo turns out. I hope its good.
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
I'm the middle of having to mow the lawn, run my errands, tend to my son, take the days dump, doing laundry, cooking dinner, having wife time, and remembering to brush my teeth I worry about this.
 

ZywyPL

Banned
You make it sound like we’re entering a period of game drought on PS5. But I seriously doubt that they don’t have anything to show, what else have we got from Sony WW Studios besides Miles, Ratchet and Returnal? Isn’t there like 15 studios? Sony likes to buy exclusivites too so I can’t see any issues doing a show about what’s coming.

The thing is it takes like 4-6 years nowadays to make a game, while many of their studios released their games either just recently (GoT, TLoU2, S-M, R&C), or are finishing games are soon to be released (the mentioned HFW, GT, GoW), plus some 3rd party exclusives coming after 2022, but with such a long development time it's hard/impossible to line up multiple games with a single date/event, that's why big shows like E3 are slowly but surely losing their appeal and relevance. So like I said, a dedicated SoP episode whenever there's really some meaningful content ready to be shown it IMO the most optimal way to reveal/show the games nowadays and years going forward, because I honestly don't see the dev times going down back to 2-3 years like in the past ever again.
 
You watch what happens when Flight Sim, Forza and Halo launch throughout the peak period. If Sony dont think thats the competition showing stuff then they are crazy.

I think both systems will still sell out regardless of their lineup. Sales will mostly be dependant on the production capacity of the two and not necessarily the games that are available. This is mostly due to the demand being at ridiculous levels.

It's what I see happening at the end of the year.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
I think both systems will still sell out regardless of their lineup. Sales will mostly be dependant on the production capacity of the two and not necessarily the games that are available. This is mostly due to the demand being at ridiculous levels.

It's what I see happening at the end of the year.

Totally agree, my point is...I have the consoles so i'm not bothered about sales. I'd like to know what I'll be playing on my consoles and I hope both consoles have a strong line up over the peak period.
 

MastaKiiLA

Member
Cool, but really sucks if you’re a Sony fan and want to know what to look forward to….
I don't understand comments like this. Playstation isn't the platform with the stigma of having no games. Playstation fans can expect the same consistent output as past generations. It's MS who had to hold a show with games a year or more out, because there's the notion that Xbox doesn't have games. Sony has released more PS5 games since launch already, than the XSX will get by the end of the year. They've shown HFW, and now Deathloop, and there's no reason to believe they won't show more, just because they haven't already. We're only halfway through the year.

Does Sony need to show a raft of games with nebulous 2022 and 2023 launch dates? We already got one with Sifu. Is that going to benefit fans or Sony in any meaningful way? I don't think appeasing ADD fans is really a requirement. I think they just need to make sure they have a steady flow of games to keep fans happy.

Let's not forget, events like E3, and last night's SoP appeal to a small fraction of the userbase. Most casuals don't care about this shit, and don't follow it. And casuals far outnumber the enthusiasts. So just based on math alone, Sony shouldn't care.
 
Kinda weird situation really. It's flying off the shelves but I've never been less interested in a console. There is like nothing there right now. It doesn't have one single exclusive game I'm even interested in playing. And the ones that are, are far, far away.
most of it is scalpers
 

Fredrik

Member
The thing is it takes like 4-6 years nowadays to make a game, while many of their studios released their games either just recently (GoT, TLoU2, S-M, R&C), or are finishing games are soon to be released (the mentioned HFW, GT, GoW), plus some 3rd party exclusives coming after 2022, but with such a long development time it's hard/impossible to line up multiple games with a single date/event, that's why big shows like E3 are slowly but surely losing their appeal and relevance. So like I said, a dedicated SoP episode whenever there's really some meaningful content ready to be shown it IMO the most optimal way to reveal/show the games nowadays and years going forward, because I honestly don't see the dev times going down back to 2-3 years like in the past ever again.
Wise words, didn’t think about the late PS4 releases. But then I’m thinking that several of Sony’s studios have multiple teams so while one ND team for example was making TLOUp2 and are now working on TLOU multiplayer another team might’ve been working on another Uncharted or Jak for years.
Lots of wishful thinking here I know
 
Kinda weird situation really. It's flying off the shelves but I've never been less interested in a console. There is like nothing there right now. It doesn't have one single exclusive game I'm even interested in playing. And the ones that are, are far, far away.
Agreed.
It's just the supply constraints of the XSX that makes it feel it's flying of the shelves.
Also nothing out on Xbox and nothing that interesting in sights, everything is so far far away

On other hand I'm on summer vacay so don't have time to play all PS games that are out.
DkBX1rA.png


OT: I think there are few big ones that Sony is holding back, also they know people want to see some game play not only CGI.
So not at all sure what we are going to see at PSX.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom