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

Nickolaidas

Banned
PC wins, as it always should be if you're willing to fork 2-3 thousand bucks for it.

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0neAnd0nly

Gold Member
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.
I actually talked about this is another post today, I am well aware games are expensive today - I referenced a chart I saw on a business trip when I worked in the industry that detailed the insane amount of money for development certain games jumped from the beginning ps3/360 cycle to the end of it. It was up huge. Which caused many smaller studios to already get bought and consolidation began.

I still think that PlayStation, the largest profit maker of Sony corp IIRC (over 1/3rd of revenue - correct me if I’m wrong) doesn’t NEED to follow friggin’ MS into this Kumbaya of a future which they spin because… they are getting it handed to them at an alarming rate over the last decade.

PS needs to drive sales to them exclusively, like they use to do - organically through their library.

IMO, of course. I just strongly dislike what the future of console gaming is becoming. No way to slow the inevitable I guess. I still purchase physical, so yeah - I guess I’m lame like that ha.
 
Because by saying "multiplatform" it gives off the illusion that they are also speaking about their competitors consoles. PC and Mobile aren't really in that same realm IMO. They are their own beasts. This isn't about the Bungie deal since that's been explicitly detailed to remain multiplat but for the other acquisitions that have been done recently. The same jargon is being used on both sides.
Why can't these fucking companies ever just be honest?
 
I actually talked about this is another post today, I am well aware games are expensive today - I referenced a chart I saw on a business trip when I worked in the industry that detailed the insane amount of money for development certain games jumped from the beginning ps3/360 cycle to the end of it. It was up huge. Which caused many smaller studios to already get bought and consolidation began.

I still think that PlayStation, the largest profit maker of Sony corp IIRC (over 1/3rd of revenue - correct me if I’m wrong) doesn’t NEED to follow friggin’ MS into this Kumbaya of a future which they spin because… they are getting it handed to them at an alarming rate over the last decade.

PS needs to drive sales to them exclusively, like they use to do - organically through their library.

IMO, of course. I just strongly dislike what the future of console gaming is becoming. No way to slow the inevitable I guess. I still purchase physical, so yeah - I guess I’m lame like that ha.
No. You aren't. I hate the direction things are going and I buy mostly digital. I don't like services taking over the industry. I like to own my games. I don't like how the industry seemingly wants to do away with physical consoles and games. I can't stand games as a service for the most part because it brings nothing but greed/lies/and leads to annoying microtransactions and "battle passes" and players wearing rediculous looking skins.

Ok I better stop ranting.
 

fersnake

Member
I'm just baffle that people critic sony for the exclusives not going to PC, then Sony release game on PC and push their games on that market and yet people laugh and bitch about it.
 

ZehDon

Member
Pc day one will kill all the secret sauce console only optimisation because games have to be made with weak hardware in mind without even any direct io storage
To be honest, "secret sauce console-only optimisations" have been dead for a while. What we see is really just the benefit of focusing on one platform - be it PC or console - as opposed to custom magic within the box. With the shift to x86 architecture last gen, Microsoft is trying to make it so that developing and optimising for one provides benefits to the other. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw storage speed become a new requirement for PC games as Xbox and PlayStation games start releasing day and date.
 

tmlDan

Member
Pc day one will kill all the secret sauce console only optimisation because games have to be made with weak hardware in mind without even any direct io storage
not at all, they planned for that and bought studios that will handle the platform transition - this means that the major studio can focus on the main game and Nixxes or whoever can make the PC port.

Whether thats simultaneous or a few months after it does not hinder the main studio.
 
Seems like the Activision deal has shaken Sony to its core. We know Spencer spoke to Sony recently about the deal going forward. I would imagine he was talking directly to Kenichiro Yoshida and Jim Ryan was given the memo afterwards. The we believe in generations and exclusives before this generation started has all gone. Phil Spencer has done a number on Ryan since Gamepass began and Ryan was too stupid to see it.
 

Bogroll

Likes moldy games
Seems like PS games on Xbox will become a reality and vice versa. Its the best thing for PS otherwise they would disappear under their current business model.
I don't know about first party stuff but yeah Destiny on Xbox and Cod on PS etc. But nobody seems to have asked Why are Sony following MS when they are clearly the market leader. Crossplay when they didn't want to, games coming to PC etc.
I've got my thoughts and its not a million miles from yours but some people will laugh at them because they can't see past PS5/6
 
I don't know about first party stuff but yeah Destiny on Xbox and Cod on PS etc. But nobody seems to have asked Why are Sony following MS when they are clearly the market leader. Crossplay when they didn't want to, games coming to PC etc.
I've got my thoughts and its not a million miles from yours but some people will laugh at them because they can't see past PS5/6
They are the current market leader but Phil Spencer is leading the industry and he is shaping one that is far better value for us.
 

Leyasu

Banned
People are reading too much into to this.

Sony will follow Microsofts example and do day and date (A.S.A.P) for their 1st party games. Neither are going to abandon their own hardware by releasing their games on the others system. People talking about hardware losing money isn't a worry for either as software and services make up the loss. Nobody is planning on giving up those royalties anytime soon. There will be a market for consoles or set-top-boxes for a long time yet.

Sooner rather than later though they will both work towards having (through acquisition or creating themselves) a pc storefront for their games and services.


It's reads like Jim has been studying Phil.
 

Helghan

Member
People are reading too much into to this.

Sony will follow Microsofts example and do day and date (A.S.A.P) for their 1st party games. Neither are going to abandon their own hardware by releasing their games on the others system. People talking about hardware losing money isn't a worry for either as software and services make up the loss. Nobody is planning on giving up those royalties anytime soon. There will be a market for consoles or set-top-boxes for a long time yet.

Sooner rather than later though they will both work towards having (through acquisition or creating themselves) a pc storefront for their games and services.


It's reads like Jim has been studying Phil.
Indeed, even though they were bashing the strategy of competitors the past few years it's clear that they are just going to do the same thing since they see it is successful. Hopefully for them they are not too late in this.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
It kinda makes sense considering how well consoles are selling. It seems that they do not need the exclusives any more to move units as they are selling out as it is. So there is no real downside to release the games on PC as well.
 

Vognerful

Member
First of all.
Xbox 360 and PS3 losses total $8 billion, ex-Sony employee paints grim future
Xbox 360 and PS3 have cost Microsoft and Sony a combined total of $8 billion, according to a new article penned by industry veteran Ben Cousins.
According to Cousins' report on Kotaku, Microsoft has spent some $2.996bn on Xbox 360 since it launched in 2005, while Sony has fared worse, spending $4.951 billion on PS3. Both figures are a loss.


That's money lost from selling the PS3 at a lost.
But when looking at overall revenue, Sony was looking at $72 billion.

Sony's first profit in five years, no thanks to PlayStation
Overall, Sony posted revenues of 6.8 trillion yen ($72.3 billion), up 4.7 percent year-over-year, and profits of 43.0 billion yen ($435.7 million), compared to losses of 456.7 billion yen ($4.6 billion) year-over-year.

And saw a 7 billion revenue in fiscal year 2013.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, Sony's PlayStation business saw revenues of 707.1 billion yen ($7.2 billion), down 12.2 percent year-over-year.

I don't even know why you bringing up PS3, when PS4/PS5 is much better.

Clearly, at the end of the day.
The more consoles you sell, the more digital content revenue you generate.
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i don't know why are you questioning his statement; Sony lost so much money in the ps3 generation that I believed it wiped out all the profit they made from ps1 and 2
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
Soooo… thinking of selling my Xbox Series S and PS5 and just get a 1080p monster PC for £800 for high graphics settings and framerates. Can use my Elite 2 pad alongside kb&m, no online fees. Any reason to stay with consoles now apart from quick resume? (Switch aside).
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
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?

This is exactly the point I'm trying to make. Why are they making the PlayStation console less relevant and removing incentives to buy one (which they ARE, through several of their actions) if they don't want to sacrifice that revenue? It makes no sense. The only logical answer is that they see their future revenue coming from elsewhere.
 
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kyoji

Member
The same bums posting in this thread will be the same ones giving the same lame excuses as to what happen when its all said and done. It never fails, the excuse force will be in full action. Then when you call them out on it because the old threads are the receipts, mods will say its console warring bumping old threads, rinse wash repeat.
 
PC stays winning:messenger_fire:

Demon’s Souls on PC is going to be the day the music died for PS5 fans.
Nvidia leaks stay winning:messenger_fire:

Sony paying all that money for a company who is going to remain multiplat is interesting.

MLB The Show is coming to Switch as well. First Switch game I'm going to be buying in forever. Always wanted to play that game on a handheld.

Maybe the Playstation Sparticus service will be on Switch and mobile and Gamepass as well.
Will be hilarious when at the end of the day Xbox and Playstation will become services, while Nintendo will be the sole console manufacturer:messenger_tears_of_joy:
 
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VFXVeteran

Banned
Another thing I mentioned is that mid-gen refreshes were exclusive to last gen only. I don't think Sony is going to invest in mid-gen refreshes at this point when software is more important and more lucrative. I can see "slim" versions with updated HD space, etc.. but nothing that would be a significant change to the hardware.
 
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Kazza

Member
"Philosophically, this isn't about pulling things into the PlayStation world. This is about building huge and wonderful new worlds together."

Can we now put to bed the cope that Sony were only releasing GoW, HZD etc on PC in order to entice PC owners to then buy a PS5 to play the sequels? Now that everyone has heard it from the horses mouth, that argument no longer holds water. Thanks for confirming Jimbo!

iu
 

DrAspirino

Banned
It seems Jim Ryan’s plan is clear, stop making consoles and go with a service that can be played on any device essentially eliminating the PlayStation ecosystem.
Au contraire, mon ami. When you have a solid ecosystem, you don't need dedicated plastic boxes (unless your ecosystem solely relies on a specific plastic box). As most people here on GAF has been saying (and the industry as well), "content is king", not plastic boxes.

I'm not paying Netflix or Disney+ to watch it only on my bedroom TV. I'm paying them because I like their CONTENT, no matter where I watch it. That's what Jimbo and Phil have been trying to tell everyone, yet here we are on a forum that debates over which plastic box is better :pie_eyeroll:.
 
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Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Can we now put to bed the cope that Sony were only releasing GoW, HZD etc on PC in order to entice PC owners to then buy a PS5 to play the sequels? Now that everyone has heard it from the horses mouth, that argument no longer holds water. Thanks for confirming Jimbo!

iu

You do get there are primary and secondary revenue streams, right?

Sony are not looking to weaken their main profit centre, they are looking to expand out into other markets like PC and Mobile because they have huge potential to be tapped. To do this they are not only looking to create new content specifically tailored to these other markets, but to repurpose/repackage legacy content and IP the maximal value has already been returned from on the core Playstation business.

Growth is not a zero-sum game where the only way to surpass previous financials is to hurt or suppress the direct competition, its to expand into new territory leveraging proven, past successes to rapidly establish a presence.
 

MikeM

Member
Yeah, this seems to be the last console generation for both Playstation and Xbox.

Hope Nintendo keeps making hardware though.
Where are you getting this information from? Why would hardware all of a sudden disappear?
Microsoft is way ahead of Sony in that direction and they are still planing in making more consoles. You can go multiplatform and still have your own machine. Unless ur broke like Sega.
Yep. Consoles are not going anywhere.
 
Another thing I mentioned is that mid-gen refreshes were exclusive to last gen only. I don't think Sony is going to invest in mid-gen refreshes at this point when software is more important and more lucrative. I can see "slim" versions with updated HD space, etc.. but nothing that would be a significant change to the hardware.
Perfect for me. I'll buy a PS5 when it can fit in my cabinet.
 
Au contraire, mon ami. When you have a solid ecosystem, you don't need dedicated plastic boxes (unless your ecosystem solely relies on a specific plastic box). As most people here on GAF has been saying (and the industry as well), "content is king", not plastic boxes.

I'm not paying Netflix or Disney+ to watch it only on my bedroom TV. I'm paying them because I like their CONTENT, no matter where I watch it. That's what Jimbo and Phil have been trying to tell everyone, yet here we are on a forum that debates over which plastic box is better :pie_eyeroll:.
So you agreed with me lol. Is the exact same thing I just said.
 

Thirty7ven

Banned
Pc day one will kill all the secret sauce console only optimisation because games have to be made with weak hardware in mind without even any direct io storage

I dont think so, and at the end of the day Sony bought Nixes for port duties, so don't expect Naughty Dog for example to develop for PC.

It's the best of both worlds, having a dedicated studio for ports.
 
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