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VGC: Sony is winding down Japan Studio

bender

What time is it?
Kind of had a feeling we wouldn't see a Hot Shots/Everybody's Golf entry on the PS5.

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Confirmed. Official statement:

I don’t see this as a bad thing?

what good has come out of SCEJ lately other than Team Asobi?

move your resources to that studio so they can learn how to make timely, brilliant games instead of niche middling stuff that takes forever to release

restructuring isn’t always a bad thing
 
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Shmunter

Member
Is Sony going to use that new studio that formed out of Team Ico?

Masterpieces like Last Guardian and Shadow Of Colossus cannot disappear
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
I was even told you guys for 2 years that Jim Ryan is destroying PlayStation brand.

Someone has to stop him.

Jim Ryan actually is a Cáncer.
 

Kagey K

Banned
I was even told you guys for 2 years that Jim Ryan is destroying PlayStation brand.

Someone has to stop him.

Jim Ryan actually is a Cáncer.
I‘m excited to see how far he goes, and how many here will keep defending the choices.

It seems shutting down Japan, went by with little backlash, just like porting to PC.
 
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bender

What time is it?
Is Sony going to use that new studio that formed out of Team Ico?

Masterpieces like Last Guardian and Shadow Of Colossus cannot disappear

Ueda is still around with genDesign so his next work will be multi-platform.

I'm not trying to knock Media Molecule and I applaud Sony or supporting their creativity, but I can't imagine Dreams was a profitable venture. I just don't understand why the can't invest in more mid-tier development ventures and expect modest returns. They are really devaluing the brand in my eyes.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
They made Demon's Souls though :(
With the success of the Souls series, I'd say the remake is a blockbuster or pretty damned close.

It's getting to the point where I feel like all this talk about Sony not caring about Japanese games and studios are true. Are we heading toward a industry where there's less and less space for cult classic games?

Games like Phantom Dust, Gravity Rush and SOTC are those games that really didn't have a great amount of sales but they among the best developed games. Games like these you can tell were made from the heart. They don't fit any real genre.

What do you call Phantom Dust? It's an arena based, real-time combat card deck game. I mean WTF.

Gravity Rush - semi open world melee combat, zero g beat em up and collectathon story-adventure anime(?) game.

SoTC - open barren world boss medley action game.

I mean who's gonna take the risks now.

Fuck man, I'm glad Microsoft is stepping up their efforts but even so, a lot of the games they are releasing are not new IPs. business-wise it makes sense, but name a new IP other than Starfield maybe this year and what...Avowed? coming in like 2024? and The Gunk?

The industry needs to maintain the dichotomy between Sony games and Microsoft games. I want both.
 
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theclaw135

Banned
Sony or Microsoft? I fail to find the difference. You're going to have your rotation of Gran Turismo, Halo, Gears, Uncharted, and Forza, and like it.
 

bender

What time is it?
It's getting to the point where I feel like all this talk about Sony not caring about Japanese games and studios are true. Are we heading toward a industry where there's less and less space for cult classic games?

Games like Phantom Dust, Gravity Rush and SOTC are those games that really didn't have a great amount of sales but they among the best developed games. Games like these you can tell were made from the heart. They don't fit any real genre.

What do you call Phantom Dust? It's an arena based, real-time combat card deck game. I mean WTF.

Gravity Rush - semi open world melee combat, zero g beat em up and collectathon story-adventure anime(?) game.

SoTC - open barren world boss medley action game.

I mean who's gonna take the risks now.

Fuck man, I'm glad Microsoft is stepping up their efforts but even so, a lot of the games they are releasing are not new IPs. business-wise it makes sense, but name a new IP other than Starfield maybe this year and what...Avowed? coming in like 2024? and The Gunk?

The industry needs to maintain the dichotomy between Sony games and Microsoft games. I want both.

Sony's first party efforts are becoming as rote as Microsoft's. Japanese support is why I've always favored Playstation and I'm sure we'll still get it via 3rd parties but this all feels incredibly shortsighted. Kind of like opting to not publish Demon Souls (PS3) in the West.
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
Not sure why anyone is surprised. Sony has had a hate boner for Japanese studios/japanese products ever since they moved their HQ to California back in 2016. Censorship, high profile devs leaving in droves, studios actively decrying the bullshit being pushed by far-left ideologues in that cesspit of a state (not to mention studios leaving to develop for Switch and PC where they don't have needless demands pushed on them)...

The writing has been on the wall for a long while.
 

bender

What time is it?
Sony or Microsoft? I fail to find the difference. You're going to have your rotation of Gran Turismo, Halo, Gears, Uncharted, and Forza, and like it.

At with Microsoft, they went into crazy acquisition mode because they realized Halo, Gears, FORZA were getting long in the tooth. They'll have a bunch of variety in their first party efforts this generation. I think it's fair to question the potential quality of those products but that's still more exciting than Sony's next cinematic action game.
 

Kagey K

Banned
At with Microsoft, they went into crazy acquisition mode because they realized Halo, Gears, FORZA were getting long in the tooth. They'll have a bunch of variety in their first party efforts this generation. I think it's fair to question the potential quality of those products but that's still more exciting than Sony's next cinematic action game.
I can’t wait until we see Horizon, God of War, Uncharated.

oh wait they had almost as many games in those 2 series as Halo had, so it should be no surprise.
 

bender

What time is it?
I can’t wait until we see Horizon, God of War, Uncharated.

oh wait they had almost as many games in those 2 series as Halo had, so it should be no surprise.

While I have no interest in those games, I am a bit of a hypocrite as I'll gladly gobble up Ratchet and Clank.
 

longdi

Banned
Sony or Microsoft? I fail to find the difference. You're going to have your rotation of Gran Turismo, Halo, Gears, Uncharted, and Forza, and like it.

from the same bloomberg leak, ms still wants to invest big with japanese developers.

put the fan boyism and pr aside, it does seem ms has been trying hard to communicate to us they value the gamers voices and desires
 

Bernkastel

Ask me about my fanboy energy!
Fuck man, I'm glad Microsoft is stepping up their efforts but even so, a lot of the games they are releasing are not new IPs. business-wise it makes sense, but name a new IP other than Starfield maybe this year and what...Avowed? coming in like 2024? and The Gunk?
Project Mara. If we are talking about third parties(The Gunk? really??), we have Exo One and Shredders this year.
 
Yeah, I get cancelled every few days whenever I complain about Sony.

You're right. All of those studios were a huge reason why I turned into a Sony fan. I mean i feel like everyone was a Sony fan in the PS2 days because everything was a PS exclusive. MGS, FF, GTA, DMC. You had to be. But they really got me in the ps3 era when they started investing in first party studios and as much as I liked KZ, Uncharted and Gow, it was MAG, Socom, Warhawk, SOTC, Ico and Motorstorm that really made me a fan.

I remember always arguing with people who called Sony a one note publisher with a focus on cinematic games because my experience with the ps3 was far more varied. Racing games, online shooters, shit like Flower and Journey, car combat games like Twisted Metal. Team Ico games that were unlike anything else out there that wouldnt fit into any genre.


I dont want to insult any Sony fans, but how many even remember Pursuit Force on the PSP. It was like a blast from the past. Somethign you would play in the arcades or on a sega system. Wipeout. Sony used to be so much more than they are now. And it's depressing.

I'm with you on that.

I still see the disingenuous "brown and bloom" narrative being thrown around which has just become hilarious at this point. Some may disagree, but I'd argue that the PS3 eventually rebounded with a nifty selection by the end of the generation. In the beginning it got some deserved, and maybe some less deserved, flak, but I'd say its matured quite well and still holds up to this day.

Whenever someone tries to throw potshots at the PS3 it just signals they didn't look beyond what the AAA space told them was available. It and the HD 7th gen has a decent amount of variety that most people seem to be unaware of or overlooked for whatever reason. I really think Sony/Playstation still had a remainder of that original creative spirit that once drove them in the PS3. Now its just... whatever.

Was it as great as the PS2? Probably not. Was it a good console all around? Absolutely, at least imo.
 
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Shmunter

Member
Ueda is still around with genDesign so his next work will be multi-platform.

I'm not trying to knock Media Molecule and I applaud Sony or supporting their creativity, but I can't imagine Dreams was a profitable venture. I just don't understand why the can't invest in more mid-tier development ventures and expect modest returns. They are really devaluing the brand in my eyes.
No disagreement here
 
Can't say I really care. Sucks in the sense that it is a sign of declining Japanese interest for PlayStation, but I've never really cared for the output of Japan Studio. Sony first party only became good to me with the PS3 really and that's pretty much where JapanStudio really declined. I really liked both Gravity Rush games and would sure like a follow up to Wild Arms 5(which could still happen).
 
So... Why are these choices being made? In the case of Microsoft, they literally own Windows, the dominant PC OS. Porting to PC and their own store makes sense on some level.

In the case of Sony, why on earth would you port to PC and shut down studios? Just seems like a baffling and pointless self inflicted business loss.
 

martino

Member
Sony or Microsoft? I fail to find the difference. You're going to have your rotation of Gran Turismo, Halo, Gears, Uncharted, and Forza, and like it.
at the same time it let this space for third party.
Is that really a problem who fill the hole if it's filled ?
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
JAPAN Studio will be re-centered to Team ASOBI, the creative team behind Astro's PLAYROOM, allowing the team to focus on a single vision and build on the popularity of Astro’s PLAYROOM.

In addition, the roles of external production, software localization, and IP management of JAPAN Studio titles will be concentrated within the global functions of PlayStation Studios.

Welp. Japan Studio now an Astro sequel factory...

PlayStation need to be careful here, it only takes a year or two to undo decades of good decisions. It’s very hard to rebuild something once it’s gone.

Partnerships over exclusives is never a stable long term strategy, as Xbox found out in the 360 era.
 

93xfan

Banned
This sucks. This is the opposite way I wanted Sony to go. Getting tired of their cinematic movie games even though that’s what’s giving them success
I was their biggest fan from the PS 1, 2, and 3.

PS4 was certainly good, But not enough to keep me interested. I decided to drop one of three brands, and I decided it would be PlayStation. No Socom, poor BC, shutting down servers and closing, Evolution studios. Now I know longer have to spread myself so thin.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
As much as we all love Japan Studio, this was bound to happen, and it makes sense.

Japan Studios wasn't making commercially successful games. Despite being one of the biggest studios, they only made smaller games. And although there is nothing wrong with smaller AA games, it is a cost problem when those smaller games take 6+ years to make!

Team ASOBI has come and shown what could be possible with a more focused approach. Sony could not keep bleeding that money, as unfortunate as it may sound.

Now my hope is that they truly restructure (and not just keep Team Asobi and abandon everyone else). Create multiple, more focused teams down the road, and have each of them work on games that are more likely to succeed globally.
 

Ladioss

Member
Sony shutting down JS is just the cherry of the top of how the new Sony HQ has been handling Japanese devs for a few years now.

That's it, I don't see myself buying any Sony hardware in the foreseeable future. Like Japan did, I'm pivoting fully toward Nintendo (with PC on the side).
 
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This has nothing to do with your personal view on the game. Its irrelevant.

Its a smaller title that exist.

Thats the point. Not your feelings on the title or something.
My point is, they dont have smaller JAPANESE titles anymore, everything is just western inspired, i can go on steam and find 100 similar games to the titles you mentioned. where are unique games like Tokyo Jungle? How is Sony different from xbox now? its the same shit... I dont give a shit about western smaller titles, most of us who liked ps2-3 niche games dont.

How come a supposedly Japanese company only does deals with Square and Sega now? instead of developing unique eastern titles with their own first party studio.
 
A surprise to nobody keeping track of Playstations divorce from Japan, all the signs were there, even Bloomberg reporting on it a while back and tame denials from Sony.

Fact of the matter is Sony corporation has decided to make Playstation the America console and its been doing pretty well off the back of that which means Sony corp in Japan doesn't really care all that much Playstation isn't Japanese any more as long as the money keeps flowing.

Its very disappointing, because that makes Playstation really no different from Xbox (and why in part Xbox is struggling) while still exploiting it past brand as a Japanese game company which it isn't today.

It also makes Playstation much more prone to whichever way the cultural/political winds blow in USA.

RIP Playstation Europe next (relegated to second class at least), one of Xbox Europe major weakness with its poor localization and over focus on USA culture.
 
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Zeusexy

Member
What a shame. They really hate the japanese market now, huh?

Guess they're gonna focus on selling their pozzed, boring, muh graphics exclusives in the west and leave Japan to Nintendo and Valve.
 

paypay88

Banned
What a shame. They really hate the japanese market now, huh?

Guess they're gonna focus on selling their pozzed, boring, muh graphics exclusives in the west and leave Japan to Nintendo and Valve.
more like japanese market hate consoles

instead play gacha anime trash. Sony isnt charity they made a lot of japanese games and none of them sold.
Even most successful ones like bloodborne are at 2M very low.

gravity rush soul sacrificie knack puppeter the last guardian rain list goes on forever.

All 200-300k niche games.

Sony in business of selling atleast 5M games these days
 

Papacheeks

Banned
They made Demon's Souls though :(

You need to read more. Which is not changing. That was all done with external partners with Collaboration from Japan Studio. WHich is still happening but they are incorporating that sort of stuff under a different division. Japan studio is still going to over see external developed projects like Demons souls from Bluepoint. just that it is now part of the bigger part of their external partner program. So not just people from Japan studio it's now under one umbrellas of Playstation Studios.

Is Sony going to use that new studio that formed out of Team Ico?

Masterpieces like Last Guardian and Shadow Of Colossus cannot disappear

They may publish the title, but Last guardian sold like shit took 10 years to come to market, and lots of money was spent on it. So I can see UEDA being published by sony, but I doubt Sony is funding the title fully.

At this point I'm all for it, especially because Sony is asking for it.
I hope all those ex-Japan Studio developers form or get hired by other studios and that Sony completely and utterly lose contact with the Japanese video game industry.

They wont with aligning themselves as the soul place for Final Fantasy and games on Mobile like FATE/Order which makes them billions because so many Japanese players. Sony is doing fine in Japan. Just because their PS5 which is almost double the price of a switch isn't selling as well as it could because of stock issues. Doesn't mean they are not selling games to Japanese market in different ways.

Sony has made moves with Funimation, Crunchyroll among other things to satisfy that part of the world.
I'm with JAFFE on this one, I am past emotional. Does it suck that Japan studio is a shadow of it's former self? Yes, but literally the last internal made game that charted was like pre-PS3 days. Thats almost 2 gens of making a title that didn't sell.

Asobi team is staying and looks like has full control, which if you look at it, has a lot of Ape escape type of spirit.
It's business, and they are making smarter moves that keep people employed. Keeping the books in the black. Indie devs, teams like Kojia pro, and Ueda's new team will still be around and I bet SOny will give them what ever they need to help their project were they to partner/Collaborate.

Seeing people in here with Knee jerk reactions is embarrassing to say the least. I should know I'm a hardcore Sony fan. Own a lot of Japan Studio's titles. But am not blind that as unique as those games are they dont sell. And Nintendo has had same issues with games by certain developers. Like Bayonetta, W101, Madworld. Luckily they didn't own the studio, but they fully paid for all the projects. Suda51 is similar to Japan studio in making weird niche games, travis titles dont light the charts on fire, but they have big enough following in Japan to make it relevant to continue producing.

Non of that has manifested for titles like Gravity Rush, Last guardian. If you have multiple teams within a studio and one is selling well and the other isn't? Then what do you do? If you make more money with external partners doing the development with Japan studio leads overseeing that and have great results like the SOTC and Demons Souls remake then it makes more sense to condense.
 
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