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Sony's Jim Ryan to GameIndustry.biz: "We are starting to go multiplatform"

mckmas8808

Banned
PSVR2 on whatever new hardware is available. Especially these newer inside out tracking headsets that don't require tons of external devices to work.

But the console will always be Sony's secret weapon when it comes to VR. PSVR3 will be wireless (heck maybe PSVR2 will be wireless before the end of it). But to have the ability to make a game once and play it on a 2D screen or in VR is HUGE!

Plus it gives them plenty of processing power to play with when it comes to making VR games. No need to worry about creating a mobile chip, when the next headset is using games created on and for a console. No need for the VR headset to have processing. It should always just be a display (for Sony's version of VR that is).
 
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I love this shit! I don’t entirely know how I feel about all these acquisitions, a part of me feels like the FTC is going to steam roll all this crap but the other part of me is excited.

Nothing is better in this industry than competition.

I don’t care who you’re backing or rooting for, it’s all good news.

The time is now for platform holders to step up, purchase companies, and make the absolute best games for their system.

And I all want are the best games.

LET’S GO!
 

Hawk269

Member
I don't think Sony will release their massive 1st party titles day and date on PC. Jim can say what he is saying but in the end what I think will happen is 1st party games will make their way to PC, but not day and date as the PS5 version. Sony has seen how successful PS games have been on PC....but they are not going to do what MS did and do day and date. Opinion of course.
 
But the console will always be Sony's secret weapon when it comes to VR. PSVR3 will be wireless (heck maybe PSVR2 will be wireless before the end of it). But to have the ability to make a game once and play it on a 2D screen or in VR is HUGE!
It took forever but true wireless headphones are a thing today. Airpods work best on iphones but they also work ok on andorid.
I see the same thing for VR. They work best on certain hardware even wireless someday.
VR helmets are becoming the new headphones. Just plug and play.
 

Holammer

Member
I don't think they're quitting consoles or releasing games on Xbox or Switch as some tease in this thread. Multiplatform in this context is PS4-5, PC and various existing or to be announced Streaming platforms.

sony to quit consoles , yet invest in psvr2 ?
giphy.gif

PC drivers? Think outside the box. People would buy Sony branded gear for PC if it's good and cheap.
 

Yoboman

Member
I wouldn't be surprised if Switch starts being treated as PC now. Switch, like PC, is different enough from PlayStation and Xbox that Sony and Microsoft may feel comfortable releasing some of their games on that platform.

We've already seen a bit of this. Minecraft is hugely successful on Switch. Microsoft chose to release both Ori games on Switch. The Show '22 is also going to Switch, although I don't believe that was Sony's decision.
You'll see Sony games regularly on Xbox before you see them on Nintendo
 

Yoboman

Member
The difference is that MS has the infrastructure to support the console though (Game Pass, xCloud). I'm not sure Sony hardware can survive on these expensive sp games that are few and far between, and that's probably what the bean counters told Jim Ryan.
The delusion is so strong with this one
 

Three

Member
A future where Sony is a 3rd party pub without hardware honestly makes sense / selling straight software is much more profitable than having to balance that with physical hardware R&D , manufacturing, shipping, storage , retail partners ect. Not to mention the massive hardware requirements in the form of servers ect.

They make good first party software that’s their strength. Best lean into that in a world where silicon is NOT getting cheaper but in fact more expensive.

Don’t believe me check out Microsoft’s published documents on the cost of silicon while building the Series Consoles.
I assume this logic of yours applies to MS becoming a third party publisher too? MS are already multiplatform pubs releasing games on Playstation after all . Kill the xbox consoles because silicon costs too much.

When MS went to GaaS and went multiplatform it was obvious that Sony would do the same when leaning into GaaS games. This is what I feared in all the other threads about where the market would go. That GaaS will take over and you would be paying subs for f2p type games riddled with microtransactions. Men_in_Boxes Men_in_Boxes had it right:
Prediction: The market won't be able to support 1 AAA per month.

GAAS is going to cause a contraction as more and more gamers ignore new releases due to finding "their game".

Look at all the big games that struggled, the subs, the declining full game sales, the rise of f2p/mtx games, and consolidation of IPs (including the Bungie and Acti acquisitions) where people had found 'thier game'. The slow decline into GaaS type games where releasing everywhere with microtransactions and where short lived big budget single player type games would struggle. The gaming landscape is going to look very different in just a few years as everyone shifts to this slowly.
 
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0neAnd0nly

Gold Member
I don't understand the angle here, and never will.

1st party exclusives, like what has been going on since... console gaming was invented...

Has worked flawlessly and helps drive your system into houses. 3rd party vast library is great all the way around.

What benefit does releasing your 1st party provide to your console as an incentive to buy?

I am not a fan of Jim, IMO he is only barely better than Layden (neither anywhere close to sniffing Tretton who this last gen success should be mostly credited too), but this constant talk of going multiplatform really doesn't make any sense to me at all. The differences make all the consoles great. Geez. This whole month has been nothing but a train wreck for console gaming IMO.
 

Neofire

Member
I don't understand the angle here, and never will.

1st party exclusives, like what has been going on since... console gaming was invented...

Has worked flawlessly and helps drive your system into houses. 3rd party vast library is great all the way around.

What benefit does releasing your 1st party provide to your console as an incentive to buy?

I am not a fan of Jim, IMO he is only barely better than Layden (neither anywhere close to sniffing Tretton who this last gen success should be mostly credited too), but this constant talk of going multiplatform really doesn't make any sense to me at all. The differences make all the consoles great. Geez. This whole month has been nothing but a train wreck for console gaming IMO.
I echo this sentiment, Sony is essential making PC gaming stronger and making its own platforms redundant, especially with the alienation of it's player base.
 
They are, little by little, removing the incentive to buy a PlayStation. Why would they be doing that if they still thought the console was important for them? Selling consoles isn't how they make money, it's from what people then spend on those consoles. If they wanted to keep it that way, why would they be working so hard at making it irrelevant? Seems to me like the plan is something completely different, something closer to them actually going "3rd party". And it might be caused by them realizing they simply cannot outspend MS on stuff like Game Pass and acquisitions. So they buy Bungie to get some GaaS expertise in-house, and that's the future we're heading towards. A future where Sony is just another Ubisoft. *shudders*
Sony going 3P is probably the worst thing that can happen...to Microsoft. Why? Because it creates a massive vacuum in the gaming space for another major company like Apple or Google to try sweeping in and picking up some of the remains. That's what Microsoft basically did when Sega folded as a platform holder, there's already rumors about Apple making a dedicated gaming device of some type, so it happening again wouldn't be surprising.

That said, them going 3P also would mean not being able to get their 30% cut from the 3P software sales (games, MTX, etc.) on their platform, and that's actually where they get the lionshare of their revenue and, I'd assume, profits for the PlayStation division. Going 3P forfeits that, why would they sacrifice over 80% of the revenue from their #1 division, knowing they'd never make that back up by going purely 3P?

Look, I just think people are reading too much into this statement. It's perfectly fine if they support other consoles with non-marquee (in terms of their brand image) games like MLB The Show, or games being handled through a new subsidiary (Bungie) like Destiny and their next IP. Select choice cuts of 1P games that make sense to have native multiplatform releases on the other consoles. But otherwise, Sony's in no position where they suddenly need to release native versions of their marquee 1P titles to competing consoles; it would signal way too much confusion with gamers, the press, and investors, and pretty much tank their stocks, at least in the short-term.

It'd be one thing if this was 1993-1994 Sony with the ImageSoft label or early PS1 SCE before the brand was fully solidified, but now? Nah, it'd be a suicidal business move for them to start porting their marquee games to rival console platforms. It'd be seen as them waving the white flag, basically, and they're not in some dire financial situation to justify it. Not to mention, if they actually start to fully go 3P, other 3P publishers will have reduced interest to do exclusivity or co-marketing deals with them, it basically would create a Catch 22 effect.

I do think the future is subscription libraries playable on any box.

I expect Gamepass on Playstation, and Spartacus on Xbox.

This is the extent of cross-console releases from Sony and Microsoft on each other's systems WRT to marquee 1P games I expect to happen, probably within the next five years or a bit longer. Definitely not in the near-term.

They'll make specific versions of their streaming platforms that can run on each other's system, offering only cloud-streaming versions of most 1P content, and getting a cut of initial revenue from sign-ups for the service on the respective platform holder's console.

It'll most likely happen, but probably not until near the end of the decade.
 
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Three

Member
I don't understand the angle here, and never will.

1st party exclusives, like what has been going on since... console gaming was invented...

Has worked flawlessly and helps drive your system into houses. 3rd party vast library is great all the way around.

What benefit does releasing your 1st party provide to your console as an incentive to buy?

I am not a fan of Jim, IMO he is only barely better than Layden (neither anywhere close to sniffing Tretton who this last gen success should be mostly credited too), but this constant talk of going multiplatform really doesn't make any sense to me at all. The differences make all the consoles great. Geez. This whole month has been nothing but a train wreck for console gaming IMO.
Contrary to what some people wish would happen this isn't actually happening at all in reality. They're not going full multiplatform (none of the PS5 games releasing very soon even have confirmation let alone dates for anything other than PS). They are going into GaaS and subs though which means a multiplatform shift for those. There will be exclusives to shift hardware into houses but there will also be GaaS to shift dollars into pockets. Jim is only following where the market is going so I can't really blame him for it.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I think people are gonna be disappointed by what they mean by "Multiplatform"
at most you gonna get some old PS Exclusive on PC.
But mostly ya gonna get Multiplatform games from Multiplatform Devs you had before.
The only difference will be Sony owns those studios now and are making money off them.
So what do Playstation fans get? time exclusives and exclusive content.
And there maybe a exclusive or two.
And I think MS are gonna do the exact same thing.
 
Sony going 3P is probably the worst thing that can happen...to Microsoft. Why? Because it creates a massive vacuum in the gaming space for another major company like Apple or Google to try sweeping in and picking up some of the remains. That's what Microsoft basically did when Sega folded as a platform holder, there's already rumors about Apple making a dedicated gaming device of some type, so it happening again wouldn't be surprising.

That said, them going 3P also would mean not being able to get their 30% cut from the 3P software sales (games, MTX, etc.) on their platform, and that's actually where they get the lionshare of their revenue and, I'd assume, profits for the PlayStation division. Going 3P forfeits that, why would they sacrifice over 80% of the revenue from their #1 division, knowing they'd never make that back up by going purely 3P?

Look, I just think people are reading too much into this statement. It's perfectly fine if they support other consoles with non-marquee (in terms of their brand image) games like MLB The Show, or games being handled through a new subsidiary (Bungie) like Destiny and their next IP. Select choice cuts of 1P games that make sense to have native multiplatform releases on the other consoles. But otherwise, Sony's in no position where they suddenly need to release native versions of their marquee 1P titles to competing consoles; it would signal way too much confusion with gamers, the press, and investors, and pretty much tank their stocks, at least in the short-term.

It'd be one thing if this was 1993-1994 Sony with the ImageSoft label or early PS1 SCE before the brand was fully solidified, but now? Nah, it'd be a suicidal business move for them to start porting their marquee games to rival console platforms. It'd be seen as them waving the white flag, basically, and they're not in some dire financial situation to justify it. Not to mention, if they actually start to fully go 3P, other 3P publishers will have reduced interest to do exclusivity or co-marketing deals with them, it basically would create a Catch 22 effect.
What's with 3P?? ffs they are a platform holder, with actual hw in market, they are a console manufacturer and owner of a lot of first party studios producing software for those consoles, they also publish games like CoD in Japan is the most extreme I can give as an example, they started publishing their own games on PC platform... 3rd party??? WTH
 
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SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
I love how the same people who founded "lying Jim Ryan" suddenly believe him now.

This is going to be interesting to watch unfold.
We caught him lying red handed when he himself admitted he lied and that Horizon and Miles would be cross gen.

This is the same. The evidence is right there. He bought Bungie yesterday and they went out of their way to say they will remain multiplatform in big giant slides.

you know what happened yesterday? Sony announced a switch port of MLB the Show.

You dont have to believe, you just look around and see what hes done in just last two days. They are going multiplatform because hes already gone multiplatform.
 
I doubt we'll be seeing Uncharted on Switch anytime soon. That said, Sony really should be more careful about their PR speak. PS5 buyers don't want to feel like they've been left in the dirt like Sega 32X buyers.
 
PC gamers be super thirsty for them PlayStation titles. Can’t wait to see what they do with UC4 on PC. Unfortunately, no real sign of day 1 releases yet.

fetchimage
 
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Ezekiel_

Banned
Some people need to read what he actually said in the interview.



1. He says Destiny will remain on the platforms it is currently on, which means Xbox. He's not saying they're pulling the game off Xbox to make it just PC/PlayStation.
2. He says that same approach will apply to Bungie's future games.
He could of meant future Destiny 2 Bungie releases, which would still be technically correct, like the Witch Queen expansion coming up.

Honestly, neither Jim Ryan or Phil Spencer is going to absolutely and unequivocally declare that any future games will only be available on certain platforms forever. They probably can't even be sure of it themselves.

We're looking at a future where the remaining big players will push their subscription and cloud based games to customers, and it makes no sense to put your game on a competitors subscription service unless their subscriber count is way more than yours.
 

bender

What time is it?
I don't understand the angle here, and never will.

1st party exclusives, like what has been going on since... console gaming was invented...

Has worked flawlessly and helps drive your system into houses. 3rd party vast library is great all the way around.

What benefit does releasing your 1st party provide to your console as an incentive to buy?

I am not a fan of Jim, IMO he is only barely better than Layden (neither anywhere close to sniffing Tretton who this last gen success should be mostly credited too), but this constant talk of going multiplatform really doesn't make any sense to me at all. The differences make all the consoles great. Geez. This whole month has been nothing but a train wreck for console gaming IMO.

Games are really fucking expensive to make now. Porting those expensive exclusives to PC is inexpensive and so far, Sony's ports have sold really well. And maybe the added revenue will make platform holders more open to taking risks in the games they make (still doubtful). Selling hardware might not be profitable but getting a consumer in that ecosystem is important. Selling a game on your own platform is more profitable than on PC as you don't have to pay a cut to the likes of Steam and you have the knock on effect of of getting a cut of all 3rd party sales and subscription services which may become a moot point if Sony is going to offer a Game Pass alternative. I'm not sure where Sony is going to draw the line between day-and-date and delayed releases for PC but I think assuming either way is a tad foolish as would assuming that the line cannot move.
 

kyoji

Member
The live service games they are developing will probably be ps/pc or mobile day and date. The other 1st party projects will be ps day one obviously… with a pc port about the time length we are seeing now. These are things we already know. Nothing has changed nor has there been any new info to indicate otherwise, hermen hulst already talked about this months ago. Just because jim ryan uses the word multiplatform now doesnt mean day and date releases. (Live services excluded)

Whoever they acquire with these next moves i do think will be pc day and date releases, i guess i should clarify the legacy studios from the new potential ones joining, i dont think they will pull pc day and date releases from those games if they were already releasing on pc.
 
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DeaDPo0L84

Member
It is equal parts funny the people who feel they need to clarify he means PS5+PC and also those saying this means PS games will release on Xbox. The former is obvious and the latter is lunacy, I swear this forum is fanfic sometimes.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Its not new or unusual for Sony to have interests in gaming outside of Playstation.

Something like Fate/Grand Order has made Sony billions and yet its never been associated with the PS brand.
 

tmlDan

Member
I dont think i've seen a thread with so much stupidity in a long time.

And its mostly coming from xbox leaning fans in this thread, why do they care what Sony does? why are you spelling doom for Sony? most of you have been banned for console warring over the past few months.

Here are the facts:

MLB the show was forced to be MP by the MLB, thats not Sony's decision - stop using it as a business move by sony, you look stupid.
the Bungie Acq. is a day in and you're already dictating the sony business model before anything has happened. stfu, you're wrong and dumb they will make consoles because they're selling like hotcakes and making a profit year 1.

All of this points to PS, PC, and Mobile and that's it - the Bungie Acq in the FAQ is very carefully worded:

Q. Bungie has future games in development, will they now become PlayStation exclusives? (no mention of what platforms here)
No. We want the worlds we are creating to extend to anywhere people play games. We will continue to be self-published, creatively independent, and we will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community.

Q. I play Destiny on Steam, Xbox, or Stadia – will my platform still be supported? (This only calls out Destiny, not future IP when referring to xbox)
Yes.

There has been no mention of multi platform meaning xbox as well ANYWHERE.

I digress, it's still possible for future IP but we don't know and they can pivot without lying.
 

sendit

Member
PC is going to be the default platform if you don’t want to own either consoles. This is good news to me. Would rather play day 1 new releases on the most capable hardware.
 
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Notabueno

Banned
So there are really people who still don't get that playstation as an exclusive hardware platform and catalogue is over?

Jim Ryan, his board of investors and directors, decided on killing long-term strategy and the playstation position as a major platform years ago, when they replaced Andrew House, Shawn Layden, Kaz Hirai, Yoshida and everybody who made the success of the late PS3 and PS4 left, one after the other.

Playstation will be a third-party publisher in 10 years, and if lucky, they will also have their game streaming service, but against the likes of Steam, Microsoft, Nintendo and other big actors, it's unlikely they will have much of hold.
 
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