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Sony says it wants to ‘make PlayStation more social’ and confirms mobile push

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

Speaking during Sony’s corporate strategy meeting on Tuesday, CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said that the company viewed its work in services, mobile and social areas as “crucial” to expanding the PlayStation audience. This includes recent investment in a PlayStation movie studio and messaging platform Discord.

In an additional speech made during the meeting, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan provided additional detail on what these potential expansion areas meant for the PlayStation business.

“From the first PlayStation we have focused on developing a platform that enables creators to share their vision with millions of people,” he said. “Our third party partners and our first party studios have used our venue to develop new worlds, new iconic characters, and masterfully crafted stories that connect the world through shared entertainment experiences.

“In addition, we will continue to strengthen the experience for our community through collaboration with partners and across Sony Group. As Yoshida mentioned earlier, one especially noteworthy collaboration is in our ongoing work with Sony Pictures to adapt key game IP for film and tv entertainment with 10 projects currently in various stages of development.

“Another important area is the convergence of Social and Entertainment, which is making communication an increasingly critical component of entertainment. Our investment in Discord is another example of the convergence of social and entertainment; fan reception to this news has been positive, indicating a desire to expand the social aspects of gaming.”

Ryan went on to confirm that PlayStation plans to bring its franchises to mobile as part of a new initiative. Last month a job ad suggested that the company had established a new business unit exactly for this purpose.

“The content developed by PlayStation Studios these past 25 years has created a wealth of IP and provided PlayStation with immersive experiences that evoke emotions and bring players on a journey,” Ryan said.

“We have been thinking about how players enjoy our content and have had some early success with experimenting with mobile games and apps to provide more choice to gamers. Mobile is just one of the areas we are exploring to reach millions of gamers beyond our platforms.

He added: “PlayStation has a huge catalog of diverse first-party IP that can transition to smartphone gaming and complement our AAA games or live service games. We are exploring the mobile market with some wonderful PlayStation franchises so please stay tuned.

“Through investments in IP, Group collaboration within Sony, investment in Social and Mobile, we are excited for the opportunity to continue to expand our community and welcome millions of new gamers to the PlayStation family.”

Commenting on Sony’s comments, Niko Partners senior research analyst Daniel Ahmad said: “increasing the reach of IP through mobile expansion is a common strategy these days. Mobile game rev. is more than 2x the size of the console market. Even Xbox and TiMi (Tencent) announced a recent collab that signals an expansion to mobile.”

In the same meeting, Sony said its priority within the PlayStation Network was to “maintain and increase” the engagement of its community, and to expand the community itself. “Currently, we are working to enhance and develop our services within the network, such as PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now,” it said.
 
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M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
Hmm, I like how it is with platform holders that you get different experiences with each one, at least in 1st party. But I get why are they doing this.
 

Krappadizzle

Gold Member
There's a lot of Sony franchise's that could translate well to mobile, even pushing PSNow over mobile would be very beneficial.

I could easily see Everybody Golf/Hot Shots on mobile amongst other games.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Social Gaming has been around since the 90s

"When Was Oil Discovered? The first oil had actually been discovered by the Chinese in 600 B.C. and transported in pipelines made from bamboo. However, Colonel Drake's heralded discovery of oil in Pennsylvania in 1859 and the Spindletop discovery in Texas in 1901 set the stage for the new oil economy."

The industry is about to capitalize on social gaming on a scale unimaginable to most. The paradigm shift is happening as we speak. Can't you feel it?
 

sainraja

Member
I think this is the right call. PlayStation should have a presence on the mobile gaming scene. Games that they put on iOS/Android don't need to replicate what they are doing on consoles. It should make use of what makes mobile gaming good and unique.
 
Mobile .....meh. I hope certain people can enjoy it, but just not for me. Maybe Sony is looking for the bus, train, plane commuters.
 
maybe they can try having LFG....like my Xbox has had for years.

the most social aspect of my PS5 rn, is when im playing Avengers and for some ungodly reason my controller has a speaker on it...and i am forced to listen to someone yelling in spanish...a dog barking...a baby crying....a guy yelling at his chick, while im just trying to fly around as Iron Man
 
"When Was Oil Discovered? The first oil had actually been discovered by the Chinese in 600 B.C. and transported in pipelines made from bamboo. However, Colonel Drake's heralded discovery of oil in Pennsylvania in 1859 and the Spindletop discovery in Texas in 1901 set the stage for the new oil economy."

The industry is about to capitalize on social gaming on a scale unimaginable to most. The paradigm shift is happening as we speak. Can't you feel it?
I think the revolution you are talking about already arrived and left. Twitch was the platform that transformed live interaction in the gaming space and made games like H1Z1, DayZ, and Fortnite juggernauts in the past decade.
 
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Ev1L AuRoN

Member
Even though I'm not that audience I hope Sony is successful in this regard, more profit means for investment and better products.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned

Jim Ryan socializing like a true alpha.

AstonishingScrawnyCormorant-size_restricted.gif
 
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maybe they can try having LFG....like my Xbox has had for years.

the most social aspect of my PS5 rn, is when im playing Avengers and for some ungodly reason my controller has a speaker on it...and i am forced to listen to someone yelling in spanish...a dog barking...a baby crying....a guy yelling at his chick, while im just trying to fly around as Iron Man
There is an option to turn that feature off if you like. Under sound icon when you push playstation button.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
I think the revolution you are talking about already arrived and left. Twitch was the platform that transformed live interaction in the gaming space and made games like H1Z1, DayZ, and Fortnite juggernauts in the past decade.

I think we'll look back on those 3 games you listed in 10 years and laugh at how some people thought that was the social gaming revolution.

Sony didn't put mics on every DualSense because of H1Z1, DayZ, and Fortnite. This social gaming strategy is about the next 10+ years. Sonys on to something here.
 
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Redlight

Member
I think we'll look back on those 3 games you listed in 10 years and laugh at how some people thought that was the social gaming revolution.

Sony didn't put mics on every DualSense because of H1Z1, DayZ, and Fortnite. This social gaming strategy is about the next 10+ years. Sonys on to something here.
Rather than these vague promises of some mighty social future, why not detail your vision of what this 'revolution' will look like?
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Rather than these vague promises of some mighty social future, why not detail your vision of what this 'revolution' will look like?

Sony's biggest, most important games over the next 10 years will be open world multiplayer. (Sorry, but that's the future.) They'll make a serious attempt, and succeed, in furthering the proliferation ESports. How much will they succeed and who else will succeed is unknown.

We're going to see "It titles" grow bigger and bigger. The brands of PlayStation, XBox, Nintendo etc will diminish in importance as these individual games become larger and larger on a global scale. Fortnite + Minecraft will be viewed as archaic precursors to something much larger in a few short years.

Humanity connecting with eachother on digital platforms will lead to a dystopian/utopian future that will disrupt a number of giant industries. There will be wreckage left in it's path.
 
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yurinka

Member
Rather than these vague promises of some mighty social future, why not detail your vision of what this 'revolution' will look like?
Sony already announced that they plan to implement Discord support on PS5, to release PS Now on mobile and a couple of MP/GaaS games on PS5. But as something to support their current type of games, single player focused, which will continue being their main focus.

Not a 'revolution', they just saw current trends (mobile market being huge and growing a lot, gamers communicating via Discord, some GaaS or MP games being huge and making a lot of money), noticed they have room to improve there so will address it to grow their business in other areas.

They obviously will also continue doing the same stuff they did until now, which will continue being the main part of their business.
 
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Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Social gaming has been there since the creation of the first video game in history. This is not new.

"The NFL has been around since the 20s. It'll never get big."

- Some dude in the 1960's.

Ruth Tollhouse created the chocolate chip cookie in 1938 using ingredients that already existed.
 
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They’ve yet to release true multiplayer focused game, let alone mp juggernaut. Their whole image is based around third-person action-adventure type. 👶🏻steps first Sony.
 

Dream-Knife

Banned
The industry is about to capitalize on social gaming on a scale unimaginable to most. The paradigm shift is happening as we speak. Can't you feel it?
You mean streaming?

Social gaming? Like the Steam Community that's been around for 15 years? Like the discontinued PS communities?
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
You mean streaming?

Social gaming? Like the Steam Community that's been around for 15 years? Like the discontinued PS communities?

Streaming will play a part in this future, but no I do not mean streaming. Steam Community isn't what I'm referring to either. Netflix said that it's service wasn't being watched as much because of Fortnite. Fortnite is this...

gallery10-1-e1513362404611-1.jpg


The engagement with these digital world's isn't leveling off. It's taking off.

(Sony discontinued PS communities and then partnered with Discord. Which has bigger reach?)
 
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kungfuian

Member
When they talk about 'social' gaming one thing I would love to see is voyeur/spectator/camera man modes as a universal feature of more games. Something more interactive than just watching streams but more passive than full multiplayer/coop.

Getting to watch someone else play but from the standpoint of a free roaming hovering camera in their game world could be really cool. Record gameplay highlights and post photos or just watch someone play. There's room in gaming for fun 'social' asymmetrical experiences like this and lot's of game categories would benefit.

I could see something like this really taking off. Like tie it to any virtual sports competitions, where in spectator mode you can watch the Fifa championship from the 50 yard line with friends. Or fly around in free camera mode and snap shots in fighting games, race car games, big multiplayer battles, etc. Would even be cool for single player games. Just you and a buddy or your kid. One plays and the other flies around and snaps shots and records video.
 

Bryank75

Banned
Of course... console gamers love mobile games. /S

Can I see people playing some PS Studios minigames on mobile and getting inspired to buy a PlayStation? Maybe but it would be a very small percentage I think.

They have Fate / Grand Order, why not buy MiHoYo to add Genshin Impact to their mobile and console first party?

Get some perks for Genshin and Fate in PSPlus, so mobile users sign up for plus too.....
 

Alex Scott

Member
As a Ps5 user, PS5 has less social feature than PS4 at launch. This should be embarrassing for Sony. How could Sony say such a thing when PS5 has extremely few social feature?
 
The discovery of social gaming has been one of the greatest advancements this medium has seen.

There's a reason why Sony put a mic into every DualSense. Sony knew what was coming.
a mic in the controller is cheap, reminds me of fisher price. a headset like they did with ps4 is better.
 
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