Giant Panda
Member
In my case I meant it's expensive in that it was a AAA budgeted story focused game while also being very niche and poorly written. That's a combination that's just asking for problems.
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What is the future of Sony's WWS?
- Thread starter jackissocool
- Start date
In my case I meant it's expensive in that it was a AAA budgeted story focused game while also being very niche and poorly written. That's a combination that's just asking for problems.
But this is my point. Why do all 1st party games have to have bigger budgets? Why don't ND and Evo and so on all have small 10 person teams making smaller fun titles with all of the creativity that must be dribbling around inside these huge studios that are for the most part forced to work on 2-3 year titles.
Why can't Sony have teams like FuturLab or Drinkbox or whatever and let them grow or stay as they are as they want to. Provided they still make quality titles that cover the costs, they just add more variety and more exclusive titles to the stable.
Chocolate & Vanilla
Fuck Strawberry
That is exactly what they did for Tearaway. Made by a ~15 person team within Media Molecule. I think we may see more of that kind of thing.
ChronotriggerJM
Member
The thing I don't like about Housemarque, is that they're almost too good.
I would love a Housemarque pick-up, and I think RAD is a no brainer. Those two for sure are probably in Sony's sights, they've got the technical prowess to be pretty self sufficient.
I'd really like Sony to fill some RPG gaps though, shit man, hammer Europe and Japan hard and tap those resources.
I would love a Housemarque pick-up, and I think RAD is a no brainer. Those two for sure are probably in Sony's sights, they've got the technical prowess to be pretty self sufficient.
I'd really like Sony to fill some RPG gaps though, shit man, hammer Europe and Japan hard and tap those resources.
I really do not enjoy linear, cutscene-riddled cinematic games, so God of War, The Last of Us, and Uncharted do nothing for me. Racing games are another no-go for me, but that's not really a knock on PD or Evolution. I switched to PS3 for the exclusives and found that I did not enjoy many of them. Heavy Rain, Journey, and InFamous 2 (to a much lesser degree) were about all I enjoyed.
I would like to see Sony's studios branch out this generation and do something a bit more enterprising and hardcore like a proper, challenging stealth game or a wRPG with New Vegas-level depth in mechanics and reactivity.
I would like to see Sony's studios branch out this generation and do something a bit more enterprising and hardcore like a proper, challenging stealth game or a wRPG with New Vegas-level depth in mechanics and reactivity.
jackissocool
Member
I'm glad you read the OP.
You're preaching to the choir. I'd love to see Sony go in that direction so I could get a Naughty Dog Vita game. But I'm trying to predict what I think will happen, not what I want to.
SolidSnakex
Member
Even if Sony had the money and the inverstors allowed it, I seriously doubt MS would allow it.
I don't think they want now, but if they're going under I bet they'll ask somebody or offer them at a nice price.
I'm not talking about focusing on that type of game. I'm talking about having your entire staff splitting into teams, coming up with some neat ideas, everyone sharing and voting on the best one and letting that game go all the way. Like Evolution did with Motorstorm RC, like Media Molecule did with Tearaway.
To have so much talent only focusing on one huge game seems like such a waste.
Sure everyone still wants an Uncharted or a Driveclub or a Little Big Planet 27 but not every game or idea needs a team of 70 and 3 years.
All I've heard for 18 months is how Microsoft won't allow Sony to do something. None of it has panned out so far.
old
Member
Sony needs to do what they did back in the 90's through mid-2000's and only sparingly of late. They need to focus on bringing a wide breadth of different genres to their system's library.
We don't need 10 different shooty-bro "hey look at my guns" shooters when we're lacking for variety in fighters, JRPGs, platformers and puzzle games. And we don't need 2 or 3 different racing simulators when we don't have many choices in kart racers or arcade racers. We need variety.
Sony kicked ass back in the day because they had arguably the best but certainly the widest library. Nowadays we get one token release in a genre and then for a long while we get nothing.
We don't need 10 different shooty-bro "hey look at my guns" shooters when we're lacking for variety in fighters, JRPGs, platformers and puzzle games. And we don't need 2 or 3 different racing simulators when we don't have many choices in kart racers or arcade racers. We need variety.
Sony kicked ass back in the day because they had arguably the best but certainly the widest library. Nowadays we get one token release in a genre and then for a long while we get nothing.
SolidSnakex
Member
Is it a waste when the games call for that much talent? During the final push for TLoU they even had to bring over members from the other team to help wrap it up. Plus it's not like they're stuck on one game. We know that Neil and Bruce are going to be thinking up what the want to do next. They've said that could be a new IP or it could be TLoU2 depending on whether or not they feel they have something important and new to say with it.
Lion Heart
Banned
Nobody wants them. Their Bomba rate is 100%.
SolidSnakex
Member
To be fair, Rising did pretty damn well for them. It's actually the best selling character action game in Japan since the first DMC.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
You and I both know that the reason Rising did well is because it has the MGS brand name.
Although Bayonetta did okay iirc.
LegendofDragoonLives
Member
Well yes, but I seriously doubt Housemarquee would be opposed to being bought by Sony. Add to that that they have two teams. Anyways, those are the first three teams it makes logical sense for Sony to buy.
I would say some Japanese teams but I don't know who. Level 5 would be solid but they would need to cut off the crappy anime-tropes and get a better game designer.
silver.tongue
Member
Nice hyperbole.
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
Only because it had Metal Gear name attached to it.
The days where Sony could purchase Level-5 are long over. In Japan, Level-5 is a bigger publisher than SCE, and now they're more aligned to phones and Nintendo than PlayStation.
Has Sony bought any big publisher that happens to publish the probably biggest third party IP in those 18 months?
Yeah, I messed up. It happens.
I would agree with most everyone that Housemarque, Sanzaru, Quantic Dream, and Ready at Dawn are the most likely candidates for expansion, mainly the last two.
Ready at Dawn seems the most likely purchase, especially if The Order does well and it looks like it'll turn into a franchise. Sucker Punch with InFamous would be a similar situation.
As a serious question, do you think Sony needs two car racing studios? Not sure if the push backs on Drive Club are a good thing for Evolution or not. For some reason I have a feeling that to get some more studios like RAD or Housemarque some cutting from the current batch of studios might have to be made to free up some cash, and Evolution is like a place they would go to get some cuts.
Traumnovelle
Member
Insomniac would have been a natural acquisition the past 3 gens, but there seems to be some bad blood now (though I bet we'll see another Ratchet).
silver.tongue
Member
There's no bad blood.
They are independent. They make their own games and make games for companies that pay for them.
jackissocool
Member
It's a little worrisome. They closed BigBig and Studio Liverpool, who focused on racing games. Polyphony is definitely not going anywhere so I'm concerned about the future of Evolution. Racing games are a dying genre. They'd be better off making platformers. So I don't know. Evolution is the only studio I could potentially see closing, but because of the way DriveClub is being delivered I think it has very little potential for failure, so they're probably safe for a while. Their next game needs to be in a different genre or bring a ton of innovation to racing games.
As far as acquisitions I think Sony should make in the future:
Quantic Dream: I'm not sure how well Beyond Two Souls did (I haven't bought it yet, but it's on my list, as I loved Indigo Prophey and Heavy Rain), but they seem to enjoy working with Sony, and David Cage has expressed interest in being purchased by them one day, despite liking the current arrangement.
Drinkbox: I hate to deprive other gamers of Drinkbox, but they've done a fantastic job on Sony platforms with the Mutant Blobs and Guacamelee series, and I don't think it'd hurt them to be picked up by such a big company. They do really well, so I doubt they're looking to be picked up, however.
Housemarque: Same as Drinkbox, but their PlayStation offerings have been damn amazing. Stardust, Dead Nation, Resogun, Outlast, these guys have skill, and they'd only be an asset to Sony's digital arsenal.
Sanzaru: I know they're doing Sonic, but they did a fantastic job with Sly: Thieves in Time, and I think it'd be great if they took over the franchise for good while Sucker Punch works on inFAMOUS and new IPs, and maybe they'll grow to the point where they can produce their own original IP in the future, with the backing of Sony.
Ready @ Dawn: Super talented developer who has killed it on the PSP with the God of War games, and the order looks sick as fuck as well, but I think, if the Order does well, an offer may be thrown out there. I have no idea if RaD is interested in being bought, however.
Bluepoint: They do such a fantastic job with porting titles to the PS3 and Vita, I'd like to see them be brought on as an official "port house" for PlayStation; handling whatever HD classics Sony is planning in the future. Then, when possible, they can start to produce their own content on various platforms (mainly Vita, dammit!).
Ninja Theory: Bam, dark horse entry! I personally am a big fan of Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword was fucking awesome, I don't care what people say!), and think they have some great ideas and concepts, but lack that extra bit of support/polish I think they'd get when under the umbrella of a big company. I think Heavenly Sword is still their best game on a tech/gameplay level, and I feel a lot of that was because they were creating an exclusive title for Sony, and no doubt got a lot of support. I imagine they'd do extremely well under Sony, with studios like SSM or GG offering tech support/resources. Honestly, I just want Heavenly Sword 2. So sue me.
I think Sony snagging one or more of these developers would be a boon to the company. They're all fantastic at what they do, and they've all worked with Sony in the past, and seem to have a great relationship with the company. Sony's current First Party is populated with some of the best developers in the industry as is, so acquisitions of the above would be great.
EDIT: Back in the day, I wanted Sony to buy Level 5. Maybe it was around the time Rogue Galaxy released, but I thought Sony needed an RPG house, and Level 5 had mainly just done PS2 titles at the time (Dark Cloud 1 & 2, DQVIII, and Rogue Galaxy). They weren't as big as they are now, so I figured it was a no brainer for Sony to snag them. They didn't, sadly, and now I think it's way too late.
Quantic Dream: I'm not sure how well Beyond Two Souls did (I haven't bought it yet, but it's on my list, as I loved Indigo Prophey and Heavy Rain), but they seem to enjoy working with Sony, and David Cage has expressed interest in being purchased by them one day, despite liking the current arrangement.
Drinkbox: I hate to deprive other gamers of Drinkbox, but they've done a fantastic job on Sony platforms with the Mutant Blobs and Guacamelee series, and I don't think it'd hurt them to be picked up by such a big company. They do really well, so I doubt they're looking to be picked up, however.
Housemarque: Same as Drinkbox, but their PlayStation offerings have been damn amazing. Stardust, Dead Nation, Resogun, Outlast, these guys have skill, and they'd only be an asset to Sony's digital arsenal.
Sanzaru: I know they're doing Sonic, but they did a fantastic job with Sly: Thieves in Time, and I think it'd be great if they took over the franchise for good while Sucker Punch works on inFAMOUS and new IPs, and maybe they'll grow to the point where they can produce their own original IP in the future, with the backing of Sony.
Ready @ Dawn: Super talented developer who has killed it on the PSP with the God of War games, and the order looks sick as fuck as well, but I think, if the Order does well, an offer may be thrown out there. I have no idea if RaD is interested in being bought, however.
Bluepoint: They do such a fantastic job with porting titles to the PS3 and Vita, I'd like to see them be brought on as an official "port house" for PlayStation; handling whatever HD classics Sony is planning in the future. Then, when possible, they can start to produce their own content on various platforms (mainly Vita, dammit!).
Ninja Theory: Bam, dark horse entry! I personally am a big fan of Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword was fucking awesome, I don't care what people say!), and think they have some great ideas and concepts, but lack that extra bit of support/polish I think they'd get when under the umbrella of a big company. I think Heavenly Sword is still their best game on a tech/gameplay level, and I feel a lot of that was because they were creating an exclusive title for Sony, and no doubt got a lot of support. I imagine they'd do extremely well under Sony, with studios like SSM or GG offering tech support/resources. Honestly, I just want Heavenly Sword 2. So sue me.
I think Sony snagging one or more of these developers would be a boon to the company. They're all fantastic at what they do, and they've all worked with Sony in the past, and seem to have a great relationship with the company. Sony's current First Party is populated with some of the best developers in the industry as is, so acquisitions of the above would be great.
EDIT: Back in the day, I wanted Sony to buy Level 5. Maybe it was around the time Rogue Galaxy released, but I thought Sony needed an RPG house, and Level 5 had mainly just done PS2 titles at the time (Dark Cloud 1 & 2, DQVIII, and Rogue Galaxy). They weren't as big as they are now, so I figured it was a no brainer for Sony to snag them. They didn't, sadly, and now I think it's way too late.
ChronotriggerJM
Member
Also need to consider that Gran Tourismo games are few and far between. They don't need to over-saturate, but Evolution is perfect to fill those gaps. I doubt all of their future projects will be similar to drive club, and motorstorm left a crater in my heart
Need that bish filled.Awwwww yis, I would love this to pieces. I've got nothing but love for Ninja Theory.
ProfessorMoran
Member
Not sure it's bad blood but that friendly, close working relationship seems to be long gone. Something must have happened between resistance 2 and 3 with the publishing relationship because the whole fuse fiasco showed that insomniac needs a strong publishing partner like Sony more than Sony needs insomniac when they already have a handful of top-tier studios under their own roof.
IAmRandom31
Banned
Ted Price himself said right after the MS E3 conference that they are still working closely with Sony, no bad blood.
They want total control over this Sunset Overdrive IP, and it sounds like Sony was going to do what they do with all exclusives ( or most ) and control the IP. Thats it though.
They want total control over this Sunset Overdrive IP, and it sounds like Sony was going to do what they do with all exclusives ( or most ) and control the IP. Thats it though.
dragonbane
Member
Nope, it was successful enough. Not even close to being a disaster. We don't need to listen to what they say, because we have actual numbers and can do the math ourselves. Page and Dafoe weren't that expensive and we have the production budget and sales numbers.
They already mentioned they are working on multiple projects on PS4, so it seems like they are covered. Once some of the negative reviews came out I asked the co-CEO on twitter and he made a kind of ambiguous tweet that there is nothing to worry about, because unlike other studios, QD is absolutely safe (exact wording). So it seems like Sony will keep them around for a good long while at the very least. They are a great asset for them.
Also investors don't give a shit about which companies SCE funds. The gaming side is minuscule compared to Sony as a whole, they don't even break down the performance of their individual games. Investors worry more about Sony's TVs.
It was less expensive than most AAA titles these days. Selling over one million in 2.5 months is also not really niche anymore. The quality of the writing doesn't matter at all in this discussion, since the game performed fine. Personally speaking I think the writing is absolutely tolerable too.
ProfessorMoran
Member
It doesn't seem like they're working on anything for Sony and it's not unusualy for Ted to be really polite even when both parties have gone their separate ways.
famousmortimer
Banned
2015 is going to be the 2010 of 1999.
Heh.
I can't wait until E3 this year. 2015 is going to be a motherfucker. A lot of studios have been quiet for too long and we should see them come out of seclusion between Fall 2014 and 2015.
jackissocool
Member
How does Vita fit into that?
famousmortimer
Banned
From WWS? Not really. Maybe some stuff from japan studio. And the port team, of course.
Sony's world wide studios is completely dominated by the US/European side. It seems like only 10% of their games are from Japanese. Sony should grow that side too if they want the PS4 to appeal to Japan.
100% not true
dragonbane
Member
I can certainly see that. Some of the big guns should be ready by then
jackissocool
Member
All I know is their next PixelJunk game is PC exclusive at the moment.
Unknown Soldier
Member
Sony has spent a decade building up their first party stable. It's proof you can't just conjure up game development with moneyhats as a long term strategy. Of course Nintendo has known this for decades but what Sony has done is still impressive.
Rogue_Ledr
Banned
I am hoping Sony is going to reveal more of the future of its games studios at Destination Playstation.
So 2015 will be worse than 2014?
Because we all know 1998 was the best year in video games and 2009 + 1 month was a great year as well.
I guess sometimes generations get skipped, like genetic diseases.
ThatStupidLion
Member
i'd like to see drink box acquired by them
IAmRandom31
Banned
Heh, no, he specifically said they are still working together.
Not sure where the " bad blood " stuff came from. I guess " we want to own our IP this time around " turned into bad blood.
This was a taped interview too, I believe with whats his face .. Geoff ? Forget. I think. May of been a post conference show. One of those shows anyway lol.
I'm paraphrasing here, but what i remember of what he said it was basically this,
" No No, we are still working very closely with Sony. We still have games in development and plans with Sony. This is what I felt would be the best thing for this current game, and owning the IP and being exclusive allows us to focus 100% on the product and nothing else "
Sword Of Doom
Member
I personally would love Sony to buy Quantic Dream. One of the more unique developers out there and have huge potential.
jackissocool
Member
Novaroma could be acquired if Invizimals becomes a success outside Europe. Unfortunately it's a handheld dependent franchise for now and there's not much future there from Sony. If they can shift the franchise over to consoles as well then they'll have a chance.
It's getting more of a push in Europe now with a tv show and a toy line. I'd love to see it take off and become a big franchise even if it will never truly rival Pokemon.
The "bad blood" thing is probably more the perception some gamers took when they went from being a Sony supporting studio to Fuse saying they wanted to spread their wings and did not want to just be exclusive to one side to Sunset Overdrive being exclusive to Xbox. It just seemed to contradict their point.
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