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Analyzing PlayStation's Exclusive Software Output

Dream-Knife

Banned
One thing that really stands out for me, and I think hurts Microsoft on the 'exclusives' front when compared to PlayStation, is the entire lack of a VR offering. VR in and of it's self, and therefore every single game released on the PSVR platform, are all 'console exclusive' because Microsoft in their infinite wisdom has deemed VR not worth investing in. That's over 650 titles this last gen!

Games I can play on PlayStation but not X-box.
I think it's smart for them not to invest in it on console. Hardcore VR users are all on PC anyway.
 

Pedro Motta

Member
Watched an Internet Historian video on FO76 earlier today, and forgot how bad that shit show launch was.

They offered 500 of their virtual currency, worth £4.99, as compensation for mis-selling a canvas bag which ended up being made of some cheap arse material. It was part of the collector’s edition worth hundreds of pounds...

And the customer service agents emails to customers...

‘The canvas bag was too expensive to make. We aren’t planning on doing anything about it’

:messenger_tears_of_joy::messenger_tears_of_joy:
yeah, people tend to forget how shitty Bethesda is as a company.
 
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I like how certain individuals in this thread claim that others are derailing the thread. but proceed to derail the thread with some of their obvious flamebait drive by trolling. reading through or just skimming through some of the assine posts, they are about as sane as the guy in the gif above very entertaining!!! but laughable at best 😂
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
My current problem with Sony’s output is severe lack of first party Japanese games. They solely focusing on western games just because it makes the most money and with each generation it’s getting worse.

I enjoy few of the western games my biggest reason getting in to PlayStation in the first place was for their Japanese titles.
 
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I don't think it's impossible for Halo to recover. Just look at God of War. It had a bit of a misstep with Ascension, but the studio was able to re-invent the franchise into something much greater.

Halo needs a similar re-invention. Go back to the roots. Semi-open word playspaces with great sandbox type gameplay that allows for a wide variety of playstyles and enemy encounters. Expand the series with new RPG type mechanics and progression. Maybe add some unique new things like platforming sections or puzzles for diversity. Go back to the isolated, mysterious vibe the series had. Bingo, you have an amazing AAAA halo game again instead of the boring linear game worlds with boring enemy encounters and a stupid story.

I also think it's good for them to diversify away from Halo, Forza, gears...but there's no reason why Halo can't be a major tentpole title again that is the face/brand of Xbox.

What I really think needs a change is 343. I don't believe the company can completely turn Halo around with their current setup. A change in leadership would be extremely beneficial to them.
 

Hezekiah

Banned
I disagree with this. Halo’s sales on Steam prove that the franchise is still a giant, and when Bathesda slap ‘from the creators of TES V Skyrim’ on all of their Starfield promo material, it’s going to sell gangbusters.

I love Ratchet and Clank and Insomniac. I will plat Rift as my first PS5 game. But in terms of appeal to the COD bros and mainstream, it can’t compete with Halo/Starfield.

No need to chuck in third parties like Godfall or Bugsnax when they are pretty bad, just the list of actual stellar PS4 Sony developed games should be enough to convince anyone to buy a PS5; Uncharted 4, Ratchet and Clank, Spider-Man, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last Guardian (and I’d chuck in From Software’s Bloodborne).
Halo just isn't as big franchise as it used to be, sales numbers bare that out. And the reception it got last July doesn't help.

And the stuff about Starfield is speculative. Nobody knows anything about it, and a lot of people are likely to play it via GamePass so the idea it sells gangbusters sounds like hopeful optimism. It might be a subscription seller, but I doubt it's going to sell in massive numbers.
 

Nubulax

Member
Dude you literally have no exclusives until Halo / Starfield both of which have no known release date. What position are you talking about here?

I still wont 100 percent believe Starfield is only going to be on Xbox/PC until they show it this year and it specifically states that and the last time they showed Halo it got dunked on and memed lol
 
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Corndog

Banned
There isn't much doubt about Sony's quality of exclusive games, but there seems to be a general consensus that Sony needs more exclusives. This notion has gained more traction ever since Xbox grew its first-party studios to 23 over the last couple of years.

Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios, once told IGN that the plan for Xbox is to release one AAA exclusive game every 3 months [to keep Gamepass users engaged]. All the studio acquisition by Xbox was a part of this plan.

So how does Sony's exclusive software output compare with this plan of their biggest direct competitor?

To answer that question, I analyzed PlayStation's last two years and rounded up some of the more notable exclusive games (full, console, and timed) they have released that aren't available on Xbox as of this writing. There are, of course, plenty of other smaller and Japanese titles that I haven't included because of time constraints. Here is a quick rundown.

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PlayStation Console Exclusives (2020)

Bigger Games in 2020:
  • Nioh 2 (March 13, 2020)
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (April 10, 2020)
  • Marvel’s Iron Man VR (May 15, 2020)
  • The Last of Us Part II (June 17, 2020)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (July 18, 2020)
  • Sackboy (Nov 12, 2020)
  • Spider-Man Miles Morales (Nov 12, 2020)
  • Demon’s Souls (Nov 12, 2020)
  • Godfall (Nov 12, 2020)
Mid-tier and Smaller Games in 2020:
  • Dreams (February 14, 2020)
  • Predator: Hunting Grounds (April 24, 2020)
  • Genshin Impact (September 28, 2020)
  • Astrobot (Nov 12, 2020)
  • The Pathless (Nov 12, 2020)
  • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (November 2020). Suggested by PropellerEar PropellerEar

Output in 2020:
  • 15 exclusive games.
  • 9 big exclusive games.
  • One big exclusive game every 1.3 months or every 39 days.


PlayStation Console Exclusives (2021)

The following games are expected to be released in 2021. More games will also likely be announced next month.

Bigger Games in 2021:
  • Hitman 3 PSVR (Jan 20, 2021)
  • Disco Elysium: Final Cut (March 30, 2021)
  • Returnal (April 30, 2021)
  • Ratchet & Clank (June 11, 2021)
  • Guilty Gear Strive (June 11, 2021)
  • Deathloop (September 14, 2021)
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake - Intergrade (June 11, 2021)
  • Fracked PSVR (Summer 2021)
  • Horizon Forbidden West (2021)

Mid-tier and Smaller Games in 2021:
  • Destruction All Stars (Feb 2, 2021)
  • Oddworld: Soulstorm (April 6, 2021)
  • Kena (August 24, 2021)
  • Little Devil Inside (2021)
  • Stray (2021)
  • Solar Ash (2021)
  • Abandoned (2021)
  • Away (2021)
  • Wanderer PSVR (Q3 2021)
Output in 2021:
  • 18 exclusive games.
  • 9 big exclusive games.
  • One big exclusive game every 1.3 months or every 39 days.


PlayStation Console Exclusives (2022)

The following games are expected to be released in 2022. More games will also likely be announced for a 2022 release.
  • Forspoken
  • Final Fantasy XVI
  • Gran Turismo 7
  • God of War: Ragnarok
  • Ghostwire Tokyo
  • Lost Souls Aside
  • Sifu
Expected output in 2022 so far:
  • At least 7 big games announced so far.
  • One big game every 1.7 months or every 51 days.
  • Additional announcements will increase the software output next year.
Notes:
  1. I didn't include games that either haven’t been officially announced yet or have been announced but are likely years away, such as Spider-Man 2, TLOU Remake, Haven Studios game, Santa Monica’s unannounced game, TLOU 2 Factions, etc. Although, personally, I fully expect TLOU 2 Factions and TLOU Remake to be released before 2022 ends.
  2. I am sure I must have missed many games unintentionally. If I have missed any major PlayStation console exclusive games, let me know. I'll include those games in the last and redo the calculation.
  3. There are other exclusive games as well that have been announced but do not have a confirmed or rumored release date, such as:
    1. Firewalk's new IP
    2. WiLD
    3. Project Awakening
    4. Babylon's Fall
    5. Final Fantasy Remake 2

The Future of PlayStation Exclusive Games

While there may be a notion that PlayStation does not have the software output to match what its director competitors are doing, that is not the truth. What Xbox is planning and hoping to do in the future, PlayStation is already doing it. As of now, PlayStation is releasing, on average, more than 1 exclusive game per month and 1 big AAA game every 39 days, instead of 90 days.

And what's next?
  • Hermen Hulst, the Head of PlayStation Studios, recently revealed that PlayStation has more than 25 exclusive games in development (in addition to third-party exclusive deals).
  • Jim Ryan, the Head of SIE, said that PS5 will have more exclusives than ever this generation and they are aggressively making more partnerships.
  • PlayStation has also invested heavily in internal growth (roughly $4.1 billion) in the last two years to produce more first-party exclusives.
  • PlayStation will also increase that amount by $180 million this fiscal year.
Right now, PlayStation offers significantly more exclusive games per year. It is clear that this number will increase even more in the next few years, because of all the steps the SIE management has taken.

The future of PlayStation gaming is looking brighter than ever.

rwIYe7x.jpg
I used to take you as fairly even handed despite being primarily as PlayStation fan.
 
It's definitely not impossible, but I think they have their work cut out for them to achieve that. 343i has not really proven themselves to be technically adept, or very creative in general. Halo 1 was an amazing release for console ... 20 years ago. The infinite trailer looked nearly identical to it in terms of gameplay and feel.

20 years is a long time to make zero real changes or innovations in this space.

I feel like Infinite is going to have to be shockingly good to really be a "tentpole" release at this point, with some kind of new mechanics, gameplay design, or best in class console graphics. We haven't seen even an inkling of that yet for the game, and as stated above, 343i has never come across as that kind of company. I'm really not expecting much from it, personally.
What I really think needs a change is 343. I don't believe the company can completely turn Halo around with their current setup. A change in leadership would be

Yeah, I don't have a lot of faith in 343 - it seems like Microsoft just created a team with a lot of cooks from various backgrounds rather than having a very strong creative director to steer the ship in a certain direction. I hope they can come around, but most successful teams have a very strong "ethos" that everyone can rally around. Sony Santa Monica for instance, with a core philosophy on action/combat and spectacle. I don't really see a strong voice coming through with 343.

But, I can envision a Halo game that is spectacular again and really gets people excited about the series.
 

skit_data

Member
I see some people say ”Well, what about Halo Infinite and Starfield 2021?”

I have a really hard time seeing this happen, I think MS are smart enough to space these games out more evenly. I can see Halo Infinite this year and Starfield maybe sometime around the middle of next year.

Also, to those saying R&C Rift apart and Horizon FW are on the same level: Nah, not really. They will both probably be critical darlings, but they don’t have the weight of Halo Infinite and Starfield. On the other hand, I do think Halo Infinite and Starfield run a higher risk of not living up to their expectations. But in sheer playerbase, these will be two big franchises.
 
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I see some people say ”Well, what about Halo Infinite and Starfield 2021?”

I have a really hard time seeing this happen, I think MS are smart enough to space these games out more evenly. I can see Halo Infinite this year and Starfield maybe sometime around the middle of next year.

Also, to those saying R&C Rift apart and Horizon FW are on the same level: Nah, not really. They will both probably be critical darlings, but they don’t have the weight of Halo Infinite and Starfield. On the other hand, I do think Halo Infinite and Starfield run a higher risk of not living up to their expectations. But in sheer playerbase, these will be two big franchises.

Starfield is a new IP. It is unproven. So this post is rather silly.
 

skit_data

Member
Starfield is a new IP. It is unproven. So this post is rather silly.
But it’s still a big new IP from Bethesda. It still is a new IP from one of most recognisable studios in gaming. Their games are very big in the PC space.

That said, because of this it has a much higher risk of crashing and burning. Bethesda is not what it used to be, or at least their technology isn’t. If the game doesn’t deliver bigtime it be considered a failure, maybe not financially but it will further question Bethesdas relevance along with XGS ability to manage their studios.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Hitman VR, Guilty Gear and Fracked VR are big games?

You forgot to add God of War Ragnarok though. Last summer, Sony said it was a 2021 game.
Bigger Games in 2021:
  • Hitman 3 PSVR (Jan 20, 2021)
  • Disco Elysium: Final Cut (March 30, 2021)
  • Returnal (April 30, 2021)
  • Ratchet & Clank (June 11, 2021)
  • Guilty Gear Strive (June 11, 2021)
  • Deathloop (September 14, 2021)
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake - Intergrade (June 11, 2021)
  • Fracked PSVR (Summer 2021)
  • Horizon Forbidden West (2021)
 
But it’s still a big new IP from Bethesda. It still is a new IP from one of most recognisable studios in gaming. Their games are very big in the PC space.

That said, because of this it has a much higher risk of crashing and burning. Bethesda is not what it used to be, or at least their technology isn’t. If the game doesn’t deliver bigtime it be considered a failure, maybe not financially but it will further question Bethesdas relevance along with XGS ability to manage their studios.

yeah, and horizon sold over 10M copies. The sequel is hotly anticipated. I don’t see how either that, or halo infinite, is bigger.

horizon has outsold the last few halo games.
 

skit_data

Member
yeah, and horizon sold over 10M copies. The sequel is hotly anticipated. I don’t see how either that, or halo infinite, is bigger.

horizon has outsold the last few halo games.
ES: Skyrim has sold 30 million and Fallout 4 has sold around 13,5 million units. They are big and this is the first time in a long time Bethesda will be releasing a new IP. Eyes will be watching them.

I’ll admit Halo is in a decline, but it is synonymous with Xbox and the expectations are high.

I mean, I have high expectations on these releases and I haven’t played a Halo game since CE came to PC. I like the Fallout series but the drop in quality with the latest entries has kept me from buying F76. Elder Scrolls has never interested me much but the legacy of the series hasn’t passed me unnoticed.

I own Horizon ZD and none of either Bethesdas or 343s Halo games and it’s possible that I represent a more than average gamer but I really doubt it.
 
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ES: Skyrim has sold 30 million and Fallout 4 has sold around 13,5 million units. They are big and this is the first time in a long time Bethesda will be releasing a new IP. Eyes will be watching them.

I’ll admit Halo is in a decline, but it is synonymous with Xbox and the expectations are high.

I mean, I have high expectations on these releases and I haven’t played a Halo game since CE came to PC. I like the Fallout series but the drop in quality with the latest entries has kept me from buying F76. Elder Scrolls has never interested me much but the legacy of the series hasn’t passed me unnoticed.

I own Horizon ZD and none of either Bethesdas or 343s Halo games and it’s possible that I represent a more than average gamer but I really doubt it.

skyrim was big...but it was also on a ton of platforms and released over a decade ago. it won’t be anymore (more than likely). And bethesda has declined considerably. Fallout sold similarly to horizon on many more platforms.

horizon is a franchise with upward potential. New IP is unproven. Starfield could be a dud like FO76, it’s far from a “bigger deal”.
 
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skit_data

Member
skyrim was big...but it was also on a ton of platforms and released over a decade ago. it won’t be anymore (more than likely). And bethesda has declined considerably. Fallout sold similarly to horizon on many more platforms.

horizon is a franchise with upward potential. New IP is unproven. Starfield could be a dud like FO76, it’s far from a “bigger deal”.
I think we can at least agree on that these games have to deliver, or it will look really bad. This is the first time in a long time that Xbox has had releases this anticipated, this is sink or swim.
 
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Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Hitman VR, Guilty Gear and Fracked VR are big games?

You forgot to add God of War Ragnarok though. Last summer, Sony said it was a 2021 game.
I think they are big games. Hitman VR especially is huge! You have to see VR games in their own space. It would be unfair to compare a VR AAA game (e.g., Hitman VR and Astrobot Rescue Mission) with non-VR AAA games like God of War.

I know God of War is still scheduled for 2021 now, but I pushed it to 2022 because that's the more likely scenario right now. I genuinely wanted to make it as fair as possible.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Skyrim released on
Fallout 4 released on

PS4
XBO
PC

not so fair comparison :p
That's a good point. Man, I always forget Skyrim was a PS3/Xbox 360 game at first!

Now that these games are exclusive, I think it would be wise to view them as 'how many copies did Skyrim sell on Xbox' vs. 'How many copies did God of War' sell on PlayStation', if we really want to compare the two IPs. That wouldn't be the best comparison, but the next best thing we will have for a direct comparison.
 

laynelane

Member
skyrim was big...but it was also on a ton of platforms and released over a decade ago. it won’t be anymore (more than likely). And bethesda has declined considerably. Fallout sold similarly to horizon on many more platforms.

horizon is a franchise with upward potential. New IP is unproven. Starfield could be a dud like FO76, it’s far from a “bigger deal”.

I think that's an important point. Thirty million is impressive, for sure, but Skyrim has had since 2011 to accrue those numbers, Fallout 4 since 2015, and Horizon since 2017.
 

SSfox

Member
5-6 average games going against Starfield and Halo Infinite isn't enough for 2021.

They need God of War too if they wanna compete, along with Horizon.
Cool story, the fact is that you're gonna be lucky if Starfield and Halo both combined can come close to Returnal in terms of quality game.
 
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Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
skyrim was big...but it was also on a ton of platforms and released over a decade ago. it won’t be anymore (more than likely). And bethesda has declined considerably. Fallout sold similarly to horizon on many more platforms.

horizon is a franchise with upward potential. New IP is unproven. Starfield could be a dud like FO76, it’s far from a “bigger deal”.
Wow, I honestly thought Fallout would have sold way more than 13.5 million because it is such a household name and was a multiplatform game. I am surprised to see that Horizon sold the same amount of copies on a single platform.

More Sales Data Comparing Fallout and Skyrim with Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War
Clash of the titans going forward!
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
100% this. MS may well entice me to buy an xbox, but it'll never cause me to drop Playstation.
Same. When the games drop -- and if they are indeed good enough for me to part ways with $500 -- I'll buy an XSX and play them. But I don't see a future where I switch from PlayStation solely to Xbox.

I'm excited for Hellblade II and Avowed and looking forward to seeing their gameplay footage.
 

ZywyPL

Banned
Sony's output in the past ~10 years = TPP story-driven games. So if you're into those kind of games you'll have a lot of titles to choose from, but if you're seeking something else then PC/XB/NSW is your best bet. Rumors say they'll also invest in MP-oriented titles this gen, but that's yet to be proven. Wish they did a lot more racers as well, as Wipeout and Motorstorm are some of the best racing IPs ever, but who knows, they aren't officially dead in any way, so there's always a chance.
 
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I see some people say ”Well, what about Halo Infinite and Starfield 2021?”

I have a really hard time seeing this happen, I think MS are smart enough to space these games out more evenly. I can see Halo Infinite this year and Starfield maybe sometime around the middle of next year.

Also, to those saying R&C Rift apart and Horizon FW are on the same level: Nah, not really. They will both probably be critical darlings, but they don’t have the weight of Halo Infinite and Starfield. On the other hand, I do think Halo Infinite and Starfield run a higher risk of not living up to their expectations. But in sheer playerbase, these will be two big franchises.
Watching R&C sales is going to be interesting. The 2016 version didn't sell particularly well (compared to other PS4 exclusives), but there's quite a bit of hype around Rift Apart so maybe sales are gonna be good.
 
Sony's output in the past ~10 years = TPP story-driven games. So if you're into those kind of games you'll have a lot of titles to choose from, but if you're seeking something else then PC/XB/NSW is your best bet. Rumors say they'll also invest in MP-oriented titles this gen, but that's to be proven yet. Wish they did a lot more racers as well, as Wipeout and Motorstorm are some of the best racing IPs ever, but who knows, they aren't officially dead in any way, so there's always a chance.
995OUpM.png
 

Shubh_C63

Member
skyrim was big...but it was also on a ton of platforms and released over a decade ago. it won’t be anymore (more than likely). And bethesda has declined considerably. Fallout sold similarly to horizon on many more platforms.

horizon is a franchise with upward potential. New IP is unproven. Starfield could be a dud like FO76, it’s far from a “bigger deal”.
ES6 will definitely not be as huge as Skyrim but will make as much revenue as Skyrim in the long run. The controversial Paid-Mod will be baked in and they will make it work alongwith the cosmetic store MS/Beth will put in with in-game currency.

Also if Sea of Thieves is still going on I think Starfield can be huge too.
I am most excited about Starfield actually, but yeah it can be just about good but not great category.
 
PlayStation players are feeling insecure about choice of their hardware now that Starfield and Halo Infinite are likely dropping back to back.

This thread is an attempt at group hug, to collectively make them all feel better.

"See we are getting soooo many games too. No need to panic".

I think it's pathetic and everyone can see through that.

This thread got what it deserved.

Whatever helps you get through your drought of games my man
 
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