PlayStation is betting big on live-service games over the next few years, with a stunning 12 games currently in production. While the company was planning to release all of those games by the end of the 2025 fiscal year, it appears that plans have changed. In an earnings call (via Video Games Chronicle), Sony president Hiroki Totoki revealed that the plan is now to release just 6 of those live-service games by that point. The other 6 games don’t have a release window, but Totoki revealed that the reason for the move was to help ensure quality of these games.
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“We are reviewing this… we are trying as much as possible to ensure [these games] are enjoyed and liked by gamers for a long time,” he said. “[Of] the 12 titles, six titles will be released by FY25 – that’s our current plan. [As for] the remaining six titles, we are still working on that,” said Totoki. “That’s the total number of live service and multiplayers titles [and] mid-to-long-term we want to [push] this kind of service and that’s the unchanged policy of the company. It’s not like we stick to certain titles, but game quality should be the most important [thing].”
PlayStation’s Live-Service Games
While the vast majority of PlayStation’s first-party games tend to revolve around single-player experiences, the company has indicated that live-service games will be a big part of the future. In fact, live-service games are a big reason behind one of PlayStation’s biggest acquisitions. While many companies make acquisitions to obtain big IPs and exclusives, PlayStation purchased Bungie in 2022 as part of its live-service initiative. PlayStation was actually after the studio’s expertise in that regard, as the company had little experience of its own with crafting live-service games.
While the term “live-service game” brings to mind games like Fortnite and Genshin Impact, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst told GamesIndustry.biz earlier this year that the games will target “different genres, different release schedules, and at different scales.”
PlayStation’s First-Party Output
PlayStation is betting big on live-service games, but it remains to be seen how audiences will react. Over the years, PlayStation has earned a strong reputation for its single-player games. PlayStation has noted that it will continue to put a focus on these types of games, and its live-service options won’t be replacing them. The success of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 should help to alleviate any of those concerns, as the game has sold more than 5 million copies since launching last month. Hopefully the quality of these live-service offerings will be on par with their single-player options, but fans will just have to wait and see what happens!
Are you excited about PlayStation’s live-service games? Do you think all 12 of these games will see release? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
