PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst says their live service games will also be highly diverse.
Sony Interactive Entertainment said last year that it plans to release twelve live service games by the end of March 2026 (the end of that fiscal year). Hulst spoke about this in an interview with Gamesindustry. At first glance, it does seem like a significant turnaround that Sony, known mainly for its single-player, external-view action games, wants to get into this space, and not model them after Fortnite and Destiny.
“We understand the competitive environment that is out there and the time investment from players that live services offer, and we want to deliver the highest quality games. There is a risk that we talk about ‘live service’ in generic terms – as if it is a single genre or business model. PlayStation Studios are making various games called ‘live services,’ targeting different genres, different release schedules, and at different scales. We are also creating games for different audiences, and I take confidence from our track record in creating worlds and stories that PlayStation fans love. Every [studio] relationship has its trajectory – in some cases, we have worked with companies for many years as external partners before bringing them into SIE – in other instances, an acquisition has come around more quickly. It depends on what the studio needs to grow and succeed and what makes sense for both sides. We have been working closely with Firewalk for a while now – we have both enjoyed that process and have incredible confidence in what they are creating. So this felt like a very natural step,” said Hulst. Interviewed shortly after the acquisition of Firewalk Studios, the team is working on an unannounced multiplayer IP. As with Haven Studios (Jade Raymond’s studio!), the same thing happened here: they worked together, and the acquisition came later.
The pricing of the PlayStation 5 games seems to be starting to hurt: fewer of the $70 games sold in the US and €80 in Europe. Even though PlayStation’s software revenue has increased, the price seems to have reduced sales (even though the PlayStation 5 sells many units, one might reasonably assume that more consoles mean more sales…).
In the previous fiscal year, Sony sold 264.2 million PlayStation 5 games, down 39 million from the previous year, according to TweakTown. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II hit $1 billion in 10 days, but Sony’s overall sales didn’t increase year-on-year. In the quarter in question, the company posted a decline of 6.2 million …
As long as revenues are up, the situation won’t change.
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