“They don’t arise from nostalgia,” says a former PlayStation executive, who reveals that remakes are simply a convenient solution to a deeper industry issue. Shuhei Yoshida, once the head of SIE Worldwide Studios, explains these projects are primarily used to “fund new games.”

We’ve seen it again and again in gaming: companies dusting off recent hits and bringing them back as remakes or remasters. Sony has faced heat for doing just that with titles like The Last of Us and Days Gone, but according to one of PlayStation’s former leaders, there’s a financial method behind the apparent nostalgia. The point isn’t to relive the past — it’s to pay for the future.

Shuhei Yoshida, who led SIE Worldwide Studios until 2019 and fully departed from PlayStation in early 2025, knows the business inside and out. In a recent PlayStation Inside interview, he tackled the escalating costs of game development and pricing: “I think [the price hike with Mario Kart: World] was inevitable — if not from Nintendo, then from someone else. We’re living in times of real, serious inflation, and yet players still expect bigger, more ambitious games to cost the same. That’s just not sustainable.”

“Everything about game production today is more complex and expensive,” Yoshida continued. “Each publisher sets their own price, but at the core of it all are development costs. That’s why so many in the industry are trying to diversify revenue — to keep delivering the blockbuster titles audiences expect.”

“The explosion of remakes and remasters isn’t rooted in nostalgia or the desire to modernize,” he explained. “They’re an easy, practical way to generate revenue — money that goes straight into funding new titles. It’s the same with PC ports. I don’t mind them at all, because studios like Nixxes Software usually handle that work, freeing up core teams to focus on original projects.”

Yoshida’s observations reflect the tough economic climate game companies are navigating. Still, he notes there are standout exceptions that defy convention: “I don’t know if Rockstar will use the opportunity to price GTA VI at 90 euros or more, but that’s the market we’re in now. Even subscription services, while lucrative, are there to support AAA development.”

“Ultimately, we need to strike a balance between cost and pricing,” he added. “Sure, GTA VI will be a benchmark, but take a look at Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — it’s visually stunning, and yet the team is only about 30 people. That’s a model we should look to: smaller teams, leaner budgets, and games that still shine without compromising quality.”

Source: 3djuegos