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Sony Playstation: First Party Studios & their Current Projects
- Thread starter JuanLatino
- Start date
DriftingSpirit
Member
I assume this is stuff that impacted projects like Infamous as well and those turned out to be good games. I don't think this stuff impacts whether it will be a good or bad game. I think it more determines whether it will reach its full potential or not. Similar to how the Infamous games feel like they could have been something more despite their quality.
Primethius
Banned
The SP stuff basically lines up with their total absence post SS and First Light.
I guess we'll see if they show up at PSX? Because at this point, they put out one of the most solid games early on in the gen and then disappeared. It would be insane to go into 2018 without knowing what SP is up to since what, 2014?
Speaking of MIA, Dreams needs to rereveal it self soon too.
It is absolutely insane to me that Naughty Dog, Sony's most prestigious studio, is likely going to end up putting out the most games of a first part studio this gen for them. Or if not the most, near the top of the list.
I suppose that speaks as much to NDs skill and quality as much as it is a damning assessment of the rest of the first party stable.
(Yea, I know some have good excuses, like SSM, where something like project cancellation is out of their hand).
I guess we'll see if they show up at PSX? Because at this point, they put out one of the most solid games early on in the gen and then disappeared. It would be insane to go into 2018 without knowing what SP is up to since what, 2014?
Speaking of MIA, Dreams needs to rereveal it self soon too.
It is absolutely insane to me that Naughty Dog, Sony's most prestigious studio, is likely going to end up putting out the most games of a first part studio this gen for them. Or if not the most, near the top of the list.
I suppose that speaks as much to NDs skill and quality as much as it is a damning assessment of the rest of the first party stable.
(Yea, I know some have good excuses, like SSM, where something like project cancellation is out of their hand).
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
Gureilla tho. They're tied right now last of us will put naughty dog ahead tho
Guerrilla? I could see them putting out one more game before the gen is over.
But yeah, ND are very efficient. Had the director change on UC4 not happened, I reckon we'd have gotten another game after TLOU2 this gen.
unknownstranger
Member
The biggest difference in first party from last gen is the lack of Insomniac. At this point last gen they already released 3 Ratchet & Clank games and 2 Resistance games.
LiquidSolid
Member
It's worth remembering that unlike Guerrilla, Naughty Dog, Insomniac and a number of other teams these days, Sucker Punch are a strictly one team studio. They don't have a small team doing pre-production and figuring out their next project on the side, they're all in on one project. So a lot of these issues are down to them still doing pre-production work while all hands are on deck.
It's a bad structure IMO and I found it weird when they were talking about it a few years ago with a sense of pride, as it's inefficient and leads to significant layoffs every cycle, but they were probably just resistant to changing what's always worked for them. So if you're a fan of their previous games, those problems probably happened behind the scenes on those games too, we just didn't hear about them. No need to panic and say it's DOOOOMED or any other nonsense.
Japan Studio says what.
As much as I love Naughty Dog, I find what Guerrilla's done this gen far more impressive. They've released two completely different games (four if you include Cambridge), provided both with a ton of post-release support and completely reinvented themselves.
It's a bad structure IMO and I found it weird when they were talking about it a few years ago with a sense of pride, as it's inefficient and leads to significant layoffs every cycle, but they were probably just resistant to changing what's always worked for them. So if you're a fan of their previous games, those problems probably happened behind the scenes on those games too, we just didn't hear about them. No need to panic and say it's DOOOOMED or any other nonsense.
Japan Studio says what.
As much as I love Naughty Dog, I find what Guerrilla's done this gen far more impressive. They've released two completely different games (four if you include Cambridge), provided both with a ton of post-release support and completely reinvented themselves.
Primethius
Banned
GG for sure is up there. Both studios are very consistent with their output. I just sort of put ND at the top due to consistent output and because their games are always top quality.
They basically went:
TLOU (2013) > TLOU:R (small project, 2014) > UC4 (2016) > UC: TLL (2017) > TLOU2 (2019?)
3 year gap between high quality AAA games while doing smaller stuff in between. Can't really ask for much more from a studio of ND's caliber.
And I understand game development is tough. But man, we are approaching 2018. ND is about to deliver, likely, another best of generation contender and we still have Sony studios who haven't released an original PS4 game...
Edit: Oh yea, Insomniac isn't first party but man, they're still at the top of their game this gen.
2blackcats
Member
In fairness that's what pretty much everyone thinks about their management.
TRUE ORDER
Member
So, the supposed new IP of From Software wasn't revealed at TGS right?
PSX then...
PSX then...
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
True we also gotta take into account hardware transition bend for example haven't been on a console in a long while so it's taken them a lot of time to think of a concept that'll meet the scope of AAA dev and market and sell well(I know ppl think it's a safe game but that studio needs a safe game first let's be honest or they're next on the chopping block)
Well to be fair, Naughty Dog released TLOU the same year as the PS4 launch and Shadow Fall isn't exactly a game to brag about. Horizon was pretty great though and a massive step up from the studio's previous work.
Basically. I know people who work for Apple who love their jobs but think management is basically chickens with their heads cut off. This can be said for almost every company is some aspect.
No denying those reviews but It doesn't necessarily mean the end product will be a accumulation of things that went on behind the scenes.
brickarts295
Member
In their defense. they have have a unique lineup of games for this gen. From Sunset Overdrive, Mobile Games, Song of the Deep, Ratchet and Clank (reboot), Oculus games and now Spider-Man. In my opinion, they are doing just fine this gen.
Maybe. BB started development in 2012 and was revealed (and leaked) in 2014. But since they were using the same tech for the Souls games maybe they had an easier time making BB. If they are making an entirely new I.P. (that is also an non-souls game), we probably gotta wait another year.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
Insomniac could sit down the rest of this gen(not including Spider-Man) and nobody could say a bad word about them like seriously very efficient and produce good quality
Primethius
Banned
Honestly, I don't even put this out there as a complaint or anything. I understand game development is tough and Bend hasn't really done a title of this scope before.
But at the same time, with someone like SP, I'm very inclined to believe those Glassdoor reviews. They put out SS so early on, it was great, it ran great and then they followed it up with First Light. And now we're in late 2017 and haven't heard from them. Even if it gets announced at PSX, it'll still end up being a 2019ish game. Even for a studio making a new IP, that's such a long time for a company that had already (fantastically) adapted to the PS4 to then put out a new title, that I'm inclined to believe they had planning/pre-production issues.
Nightengale
Member
From a single project perspective, ND has always been Sony's most efficient non-sports studio.
UC1 -> UC2 - > UC3 -> TLOU were 2-year dev cycles.
TLOU -> UC4 was a 3-year cycle, but knowing what we know now, the game could potentially had been a 2015 game had they not rebooted half the game, scrapped 8 months of work, and worked themselves to the brink of death.
UC4 -> TLL is a one-year cycle, which is impressive on its own right even though it's a smaller title.
~~~
Regarding Sucker Punch...
Am I concerned? A little bit.
But honestly, the same is true for 90% of all games out there. If Jason's book and Kotaku's multiple reporting on development nightmares is any indication, there are no such thing as a fool-proof team that can do no wrong. Sucker Punch's management and leadership issues has long been known since the inFamous days and they still manage to release good games.
At the end of the day, games take a lot of time and a lot of struggles to reach the finish line. New IP or not. I'll trust SP to sort it out its own problems in due time. Or at least sort it out enough to ship a product that doesn't kill their studio in the process. They can take their time.
UC1 -> UC2 - > UC3 -> TLOU were 2-year dev cycles.
TLOU -> UC4 was a 3-year cycle, but knowing what we know now, the game could potentially had been a 2015 game had they not rebooted half the game, scrapped 8 months of work, and worked themselves to the brink of death.
UC4 -> TLL is a one-year cycle, which is impressive on its own right even though it's a smaller title.
~~~
Regarding Sucker Punch...
Am I concerned? A little bit.
But honestly, the same is true for 90% of all games out there. If Jason's book and Kotaku's multiple reporting on development nightmares is any indication, there are no such thing as a fool-proof team that can do no wrong. Sucker Punch's management and leadership issues has long been known since the inFamous days and they still manage to release good games.
At the end of the day, games take a lot of time and a lot of struggles to reach the finish line. New IP or not. I'll trust SP to sort it out its own problems in due time. Or at least sort it out enough to ship a product that doesn't kill their studio in the process. They can take their time.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
They should've just made a new sly 🤷🏽*♂️
DriftingSpirit
Member
From was never going to reveal their new game at TGS.
That is a PSX/E3 reveal.
Say it.
Theslammer
Member
ND had four games last gen, so I don't think I'd call it insane. =P
I don't think number of games is really indicative of quality or any kind of assessment of first party. Just about everything they've unveiled, from Sony-owned studios to Sony-published games, since 2014 has looked exciting, and most has delivered in spades for me. I'm also ecstatic about the upcoming slate of games next year. When all is said and done, these studios get a lot of time to make what they want, and I think it's shown very well.
No doubt I'd love to get more quality games quicker, but it's just not what we're getting with game development allowing for more but also taking more time.
Primethius
Banned
For a man who left his captain to go off and get married, sometimes you say just the right things Sanji. 😌
It's increasingly obvious they don't have anything to show this year
especially if Killer Queen is telling the truth I could see their new game being announced on its own time, separate from any conference
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
Ayoooo 😂😂😂 don't judge me
Like Nathan drake and adventure, love was calling
AgentChris
Member
If we don't see the announcement at PSX... better panic.
This is silly.
Those glassdoor reviews of Sucker Punch make me slightly nervous but game development is always fluid and visions change constantly. Hopefully everything will come together well like all of their games seem to.
To chime in on the other conversation here, I think Japan Studio will crank out at least one more notable game this generation. I can see Guerrilla dropping another one as well. If not then Horizon 2 will undoubtedly be an early marque release for the PS5.
To chime in on the other conversation here, I think Japan Studio will crank out at least one more notable game this generation. I can see Guerrilla dropping another one as well. If not then Horizon 2 will undoubtedly be an early marque release for the PS5.
Theslammer
Member
I love when GAF just makes things up on the fly.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
Our tag line should be panic to be honest
DriftingSpirit
Member
It is as LiquidSolid said. These type of issues are common. We just don't hear about them. Imagine the amount of "panic" that would have stirred up if we had heard about the development troubles of titles that have already released.
AgentChris
Member
Very true. RDR is a prime example also Uncharted 4.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
Sony bend as well they just happen to come out and say why they took so long after the actual announcement
My biggest complaint about this generation is the ballooning development times and how it affects new IP.
Last generation, a two year development cycle was pretty much the standard, especially once you got an IP up and running. In the PS2 era, some studios could churn out a quality product every year, like Insomniac did with Ratchet & Clank.
This generation, everything's been all over the place. Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch got things going relatively quickly, but relied on old IP to do so. Santa Monica floundered with their new IP and still haven't released a game. Horizon took 5-6 years to bake - and it was phenomenal - but I was hoping that lengthy of a dev cycle was an anomaly. Seems like that's gonna be the new standard though.
After Infamous, I really thought we wouldn't have to wait this long for a follow up. I thought there was a 99% chance we'd see something last E3, and was hoping for a Q1 2017 release.
Really makes you wonder about consoles' life cycles. You used to be able to easily get a trilogy in during a console's life. Now, you may be lucky to get a single sequel. All we've really got so far was Knack II. The Order probably would have been possible by now as well had it gone over better.
When I look back at consoles past, I immediately think of my favorite trilogies: Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted, Resistance, Sly... Will we be able to do that when this generation is over, or are we just gonna have a list of one hit wonders?
That's really the main reason I'm in no rush to see a PS5.
Last generation, a two year development cycle was pretty much the standard, especially once you got an IP up and running. In the PS2 era, some studios could churn out a quality product every year, like Insomniac did with Ratchet & Clank.
This generation, everything's been all over the place. Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch got things going relatively quickly, but relied on old IP to do so. Santa Monica floundered with their new IP and still haven't released a game. Horizon took 5-6 years to bake - and it was phenomenal - but I was hoping that lengthy of a dev cycle was an anomaly. Seems like that's gonna be the new standard though.
After Infamous, I really thought we wouldn't have to wait this long for a follow up. I thought there was a 99% chance we'd see something last E3, and was hoping for a Q1 2017 release.
Really makes you wonder about consoles' life cycles. You used to be able to easily get a trilogy in during a console's life. Now, you may be lucky to get a single sequel. All we've really got so far was Knack II. The Order probably would have been possible by now as well had it gone over better.
When I look back at consoles past, I immediately think of my favorite trilogies: Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted, Resistance, Sly... Will we be able to do that when this generation is over, or are we just gonna have a list of one hit wonders?
That's really the main reason I'm in no rush to see a PS5.
ItWasMeantToBe19
Banned
I mean, the reviews of Sucker Punch are basically saying that they're building a bunch of gameplay demos and tech demos and various features and various tech but that creative team doesn't know how to put these pieces together into a coherent vision yet and they don't know what the game is exactly.
They'll figure it out, but this just sounds like a game that is still pretty far away.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
I'm low key waiting for someone to make the panic thread on sucker punch I know for a fact it's being made as I type
Making new ip is hard. After watching tlou making of documentary I can see why people that left the company would think the game is not coming along well or blame management. These things sometimes don't come together until the very last moment. I wouldn't be worried just yet unless sucker punch doesn't reveal the game by next e3. As of now I am still expecting it at psx but latest by e3 next year.
ItWasMeantToBe19
Banned
I posted all of the info and I'm not panicking at all, it probably will just take longer than people think.
Hell it took GG like a really long time to make Horizon.
Jawbreaker
Member
Those reviews are good anecdotes for how difficult creating a new IP can be, especially given the added pressure of being a premiere studio, and how conflicts can always arise over creative differences. That's it.
You'd be surprised by how often pieces tend to come into place late in development.
That's not to downplay issues that exist in the industry, of course. There's just no reason to worry about the game based on the employee reviews. As has been stated, we could get similar anecdotes from the development of much-beloved titles.
You'd be surprised by how often pieces tend to come into place late in development.
That's not to downplay issues that exist in the industry, of course. There's just no reason to worry about the game based on the employee reviews. As has been stated, we could get similar anecdotes from the development of much-beloved titles.
Chris Metal
Member
Are people talking about Dreams, or completely neglecting the dev diaries that MM used to regularly post each week? OR is it SP, cause games are often in long dev cycles without a peep from the devs so I'm not really worried. I don't think Sucker Punch are sitting around drinking piña colada's.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
Sp I wish someone would come for Mm we fighting on the spot
Theslammer
Member
If it were up to the internet, I'd have panicked in 2014 after the layoffs at Santa Monica. Instead, they moved to a brand new studio, we found out the layoffs were due to a cancelled game behind the scenes (which, while it sucks, is something that happens more than people think), and the next year we got a great God of War reveal.
Jawbreaker
Member
I imagine MM doesn't want to show off Dreams again until they can hook people in with the main campaign. The creation suite is only a part of the package. They understand that the game isn't going to sell without a good campaign that showcases the game's creative flexibility. I expect a strong, whimsical trailer before the year's end. Details about the beta should surface, too.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
Dudes being kind of a dick tho...what's his gaf account
Primethius
Banned
If Dreams isn't shadow dropped during PSX, I'm certainly panicking.
DriftingSpirit
Member
At best, it seems they may be able to pump out two titles. I think trilogies in the same generation are over with. Especially in terms of retaining/exceeding quality and the audience willing to stay in that long.
lol