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SONY TO FOCUS ON NEW FRANCHISES AND LIVE SERVICE GAMES
In its latest business presentation, Sony announced that it plans to heavily invest in new IP for its PlayStation Studios portfolio. The company estimates that by the 2025 fiscal year, 50% of its investments in PlayStation Studios will be in new franchises, a major jump from the 20% invested in 2019.
Furthermore, Sony plans to shift its investment focus towards live service games, which is highlighted in the FY19 split of 88% traditional games and 12% live service games, with a projected reversal of that ratio to 40/60 in FY25. The company also shared that it currently has 12 live service games in production.
These changes are not a complete surprise, as Sony has made recent acquisitions of studios working on live service games, such as Bungie, Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios, and Firewalk Studios. Guerrilla Games, the developer of the popular Horizon franchise, is already working on a multiplayer version of Horizon.
Sony seems to recognize the potential of live service games, where players invest both time and money, such as those seen in Epic Games’ Fortnite and Bungie’s Destiny 2. The company also sees a business opportunity in developing live service games of their own.
We can expect to see new franchises and live service games at Sony’s upcoming PlayStation Showcase event, where the company has promised a glimpse of the new creations from PlayStation Studios. Stay tuned for what Sony has in store for us in the coming years.
