In recent months, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has truly undergone an internal transformation. Departures, restructuring and reallocation of resources are pushing the Japanese brand into a whole new dimension compared to the PS4 era.
And recent announcements support these changes that will impact the PS5 a little more.
Seven years of glory with the PS4
To return to the source of this profound upheaval, it is necessary to dive back into the past. At the end of the PS3 period, and despite great successes on this generation, PlayStation is launching its future machine with practically a challenger status. Microsoft managed to impose itself with its very popular Xbox 360 and the Japanese firm only caught up in terms of sales at the very end of the cycle. To avoid a new hitch, things are moving within the teams with in particular the arrival of Andrew House at the head of Sony's gaming division.
At the dawn of the launch of the PS4, the Briton will refocus the target of his teams on the players, by offering an affordable machine with a varied catalog. All genres and all types of games are represented there during the seven years of the console's existence. Blockbusters from PlayStation's in-house studios, innovative independent titles, juicy partnerships with the biggest publishers in the industry... It's all there! Some figures of the company like Shuhei Yoshida (then president of SIE Worldwide Studios) and Shawn Layden (president of SIE America) even become stars for lovers of the brand.
A revival at the approach of a new generation
All this leads to a real plebiscite for the PS4 with its 115 million units sold worldwide. But from 2017, the turmoil began slowly at SIE. Andrew House leaves his post and, after 18 months of an interim provided by John Kodera, Jim Ryan takes over. The latter then officiated as head of SIE in Europe. As for Shawn Layden, he gave up his apron in September 2019 and the charismatic Shuhei Yoshida was "relegated" to the helm (no pun intended) of an initiative whose goal is to promote independent games within the ecosystem. Playstation.
But it is in 2021 that more significant changes appear publicly. Sony's iconic studios based in Japan have been emptied of their substance and will no longer develop any new projects. The departures are linked once again since renowned creators like Keiichiro Toyama (Gravity Rush, Silent Hill) or Masaaki Yamagiwa (Bloodborne) leave the ship. Which finally brings us to the present.
Read also:The creators of Silent Hill and Gravity Rush leave Sony to found a new studio
Sony will focus on safe bets
According to a recent survey published by Bloomberg, SIE will now prioritize its biggest studios and critically acclaimed licenses. For example, Sony refused the construction of a Days Gone 2 at Bend Studio. The Oregon-based company has instead been designated to lend a hand to Naughty Dog on a new Uncharted (before Sony returns Bend its autonomy in March 2021). Similarly, a remake of The Last of Us should land on PS5 in the more or less near future.
These decisions are like a reflection of the new strategy of the manufacturer which intends to put the package on the big budget titles (known under the name of AAA games) to attract the consumer. Thus, less exposed teams, such as Bend Studio, had the fear of being relegated to the rank of simple “supporters” of Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studio and other Guerrilla Games. Fears which are nevertheless to be put into perspective since Jason Schreier clarified in a podcast that Sony will not completely drop independent software and “UFOs” like Dreams or Concrete Genie. The latter will simply no longer be the company's priority, which will allocate more resources to its studios, which have produced the best exclusives released in recent years.
What may be more worrying is to see the Japanese firm turn its back on its heritage with initiatives such as the closure of its online store on PS3, PS Vita and PSP. More than 120 games will disappear forever and 2200 can no longer be purchased on these media. Again, this perfectly illustrates this desire to refocus on the essentials for Sony. In 2017, the current president of SIE already mentioned his reluctance to see backward compatibility arrive on PlayStation. "Why would anyone play these games?" asked Jim Ryan. Celebrating its past successes and its heritage does not seem to be a priority for PlayStation... And this therefore implies the permanent cessation of certain services that are certainly outdated, but still appreciated, even used by the most passionate players.
Sony and Microsoft, two different schools?
Chaining critical and commercial successes is a good thing, but there is a downside. Now, PlayStation exclusives can't go wrong and can't just be good (like Days Gone). Excellence is mandatory and the most “fragile” studios do not necessarily have the human resources to achieve such a result. At a time when Microsoft is multiplying juicy offers with the Game Pass and buyouts worth billions of dollars, Sony may only have the know-how left to stand out.
Contrary to Xbox which sees always larger and tries to conquer markets which resist to him (in Asia in particular), Sony seems to be folded up on itself. The firm is betting everything on the Western market, even if it means cutting its roots and forgetting where it comes from. The famous figures of the company are gone or reduced to silence with an increasingly sanitized communication... Where Xbox officials follow one another at the microphone and interact with the community on social networks to bring a true identity to their Mark.
This is ultimately what Sony was doing back in the days of the PS4. This new feeling of scarcity, in outings as well as for communication, can certainly encourage envy in the consumer, but it can also give the impression of dealing with a company that is impervious to external reactions. And if Microsoft manages to put its 23 internal studios (including those of Bethesda) in battle order with a coherent strategy and well-paced releases, PlayStation could have something to worry about.
