Tag: Sony - Page 2
News Key Sony Exec Gives Eye-Opening Quotes on the Future of PlayStation and Gaming
Out with graphics, in with stories
Sony's just held a corporate strategy meeting in a bid to outline its plans for the company's future — but it's a separate interview with PlayStation Productions boss Asad Qizilbash that's really caught our eye. You may remember Qizilbash from a couple of PlayStation events that took place a few years back — a...
Poll Will the Rumoured PlayStation Showcase Be Announced Soon?
Put your rep on the line
Yep, it's that time of year, when the speculation flows and Geoff Keighley refuses to move away from the spotlight. And as per usual, we're sat here waiting on Sony to do something, anything. It's no secret that the Japanese giant holds its cards incredibly close to its chest these days, but now that the PS5's release...
News The Next Naughty Dog Game Its 'Most Thrilling Yet', Says Neil Druckmann
It could "redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming"
Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has claimed the developer's next game is "perhaps its most thrilling yet" and it could "redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming". Talking inside an interview released alongside today's Corporate Strategy Meeting, he comments on how he is working on a new...
News Marvel's Wolverine PS5 News Coming 'When the Time Is Right'
Insomniac gives the tiniest update
While we're all sitting here waiting for Sony to announce its long-rumoured PlayStation Showcase (like absolute mugs, potentially), Marvel's Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games is out there dropping updates on its next PS5 game, Marvel's Wolverine. Okay, so maybe 'update' is overselling it — the studio has...
Rumour We'll Finally Get More Details on PS5 Exclusive Concord in the Next Two Weeks
Summer Game Fest or PS Showcase?
We're getting very close to the summer season of gaming news, and as always, things are beginning to heat up in the rumour department. Sony's long-talked-about PlayStation Showcase has yet to materialise, but the rumours keep flying, and now we have some fresh insight from reputable leaker, billbil-kun, about...
Random Sony's Vision of Gaming's Future Includes a PS3 Boomerang Pad with a Screen
Concept trailer gives us a glimpse
As part of its Corporate Strategy Meeting earlier today, Sony released a concept trailer designed to reflect its vision of the future. It’s worth noting that none of the hardware or ideas presented in the video represent real, in-development products – it’s more a clip designed to capture a “mood” or...
News Epic Games May Be Sony's Most Important Partner Right Now
An epic alliance
We know that Sony has invested heavily into Epic Games over the years, but it’s clear that the company holds its partnership with the Fortnite maker in extremely high regard. During its Corporate Strategy Meeting, the Japanese giant name dropped the Unreal Engine creator multiple times, across a variety of different mediums...
News Team Ninja Reveals Rise of the Ronin's Links to Nioh, Ninja Gaiden
Hiding in plain sight
In addition to outlining the missions and features imminently arriving in Rise of the Ronin's next update, developer Team Ninja took the opportunity to point out the PS5 exclusive's connections to previous entries in the studio's back catalogue, specifically the Nioh and Ninja Gaiden series. Warning: a boss spoiler for Rise of...
News Sony Sets Sights on Ruling the Anime World
The next frontier
There’s no doubt about it: Sony is comfortably the biggest fish in the anime ocean these days. The company already owns media company Aniplex, streaming service Crunchyroll, and is involved in the production of many of the most popular series, like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Bocchi the Rock, and the more recent Wind Breaker...
News Helldivers 2 Dev Says It's Seen 'Horrifying' Toxicity from Some of the Community
"More voices being added to the choir does add complexity"
Helldivers 2 players are supposed to work together for Super Earth's glory, but as is often the case when dealing with such a massive audience, some fringe elements of the community are going overboard. Former Arrowhead CEO and now Chief Creative Officer Johan Pilestedt says that the studio...
News Rise of the Ronin Update Coming This Week, Adds Missions and Features
More content for the PS5 exclusive
Team Ninja has announced in a new PlayStation Blog post that PS5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin will take an update later this week that bundles in new missions, features, and gameplay enhancements. There's going to be five Ally Missions to complete, dojo training partners, a level sync selection feature, and more...
News New Helldivers 2 CEO Hired So Former Lead Can Focus on Game Development
Shams Jorjani takes the lead
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Studios has revealed the hiring of a new CEO in Shams Jorjani so the former lead Johan Pilestedt — who you've probably seen on Twitter recently — can focus his efforts on game creation again. After the overwhelming success of the PS5, PC title, which currently sits on more than 12...
News Some PS5 Fans Think the Rumoured PlayStation Showcase Will Be Announced Today
Never say never
You already know the situation: everyone is expecting Sony to wheel out a big PlayStation Showcase announcement ahead of Summer Game Fest and all the other gaming events in the summer. Why? Well, because it happened last year, and because it's been heavily rumoured for at least a couple of months. But right now, the speculation seems...
News Sony's Big Days of Play Promo Begins Next Week, Leaker Claims
Tied with a PS Showcase?
PS Plus leaker turned general insider Billbil-Kun has shared word that Sony is planning to launch its annual Days of Play promotion next week on Wednesday, 29th May 2024. The initiative traditionally marks the start of a huge PS Store sale along with PS Plus offers and discounts across the PlayStation Direct website. In...
News PlayStation Mobile Job Listing Reveals New Insight into Sony's Smartphone Strategy
It's still alive
It’s no secret that Sony is desperate for a smartphone success story. Companies like HoYoverse have proven that titles can transcend different devices, with the likes of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail huge on PS5, PC, and mobile. PlayStation has been scrambling to set up a mobile subsidiary within its business for years,...
Feature Revisiting PlayStation Showcase 2023, an Event Sony Must Improve Upon
We go again
At the time of writing, we still don't know for sure if Sony is planning an imminent PlayStation Showcase. The rumours strongly suggest that it is happening, and that it is happening soon — but as we sit here twiddling our thumbs, waiting for PlayStation to (hopefully) deliver the goods, we thought it'd be fun to look back at Sony's...
News Helldivers 2 Updates Set to Slow Down as Dev Shares Concern Over Patch Quality
Deep divers
Helldivers 2 has obviously been a huge hit for both Sony and developer Arrowhead Studios, but without regular updates, any ongoing game will struggle to maintain a large audience in the current live service landscape. Fortunately, most would agree that the team's been doing a great job when it comes to keeping Helldivers 2 ticking —...
News PlayStation London Studio Shares a Farewell Message Following Closure
A "wild and wonderful journey"
PlayStation London Studio has posted a farewell message to fans following Sony's decision to close the UK developer amidst 900 job layoffs at the company. Confirmed back in February, the studio was shuttered entirely while there were job losses at other first-party teams such as Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and...
News PS Plus's New PS1 Classics Both Have Platinum Trophies
Blue pot luck
Sony hasn’t mandated Trophies for the PS1 games it’s deploying as part of PS Plus Premium, but it’s done an excellent job patching them in to first-party titles. New releases G-Police and 2Xtreme will both have Platinum gongs to grab, then, and you’ll be able to earn them starting today, when the emulated outings arrive...
News Death Stranding 2 Enters 'Adjustment Phase', Filming and Recording Complete
Unlikely to launch until the back half of 2025
We inch ever closer to the release of Death Stranding 2, with production on the eagerly anticipated sequel reportedly clearing a vital milestone: motion capture filming and recording are now complete, and the project will now enter an "adjustment phase", which we presume is the part where auteur creator...
News Helldivers 2 Players Embrace Eagle Sweat, the Perfume of Heroes
Eau de Liberté
Helldivers 2 players, in between liberally applying Freedom and Democracy to the bugs and bots, respectively, have been known to engage in some light meme-crafting, with developer Arrowhead often getting in on the game. One such case is that of Eagle Sweat, the most patriotic perfume in existence, which may or may not be coming to...
News Ghost of Tsushima PC Is Now PlayStation's Biggest Single Player Launch on Steam
Jin is making a din
Ghost of Tsushima is comfortably one of PlayStation’s biggest franchises these days, even if it perhaps doesn’t have the legacy of God of War or prestige of The Last of Us. The original PS4 release sold exceptionally well, and it’s continued to perform strongly with its subsequent Director’s Cut update and PS5 re-release...
Random Stellar Blade Has Reached Peak Marketing with a Limited Edition Burger
Only available in Australia
Sony has been pushing the PS5 exclusive action game, Stellar Blade, pretty hard both before and after its launch back in April, but this new collaboration is next level. An Australian restaurant chain has joined forces with the game to cook up a special edition burger, available only for a limited time. Gami Chicken...
News Stellar Blade Dev Teases News Set for Next Week
Merch, game update, or DLC?
Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has teased some sort of update or piece of news it will be revealing next week with the simple tweet reading: "Get ready for next week." In the background is what looks like a statue, so the tease may well be related to merchandise rather than in-game content. Still, the team has gone on...
News Ghost of Tsushima on PC Attracts 57K Player Peak on Launch Day
Sony's fourth biggest PC release
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut has achieved Sony's fourth biggest PC release, with a peak 57,934 users playing the game at any one time yesterday. While the statistic cannot be used to reliably predict actual sales numbers on PC, it's clear the community has taken to the Sucker Punch Productions title on release...
News A Lot of PS4 Owners Have Yet to Upgrade to PS5
But is it a big deal?
There’s a lot of talk on social media this week about the number of gamers still using their PS4 consoles. Sony announced during its latest earnings call that it had shipped 59.3 million PS5 consoles. However, the PSN as a whole has around 118 million monthly active users, meaning at least half are still playing on PS4...
News Players Fail Helldivers 2 Major Order, 'The Second Galactic War' Begins
"New recruits are being trained to bolster the ranks of SEAF"
In another potentially catastrophic turn in the ongoing Helldivers 2 Galactic War effort, players have failed to scrap 2 billion Automatons mandated by the latest Major Order, and the MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines stratagem has been snatched from their grasp once again. Worse, Super Earth High...
Rumour LEGO Horizon Adventures Is Reportedly Real, a 'Realistic' Horizon Game But with LEGO
Still features "realistic" graphics
The rumours surrounding a potential Horizon and LEGO crossover game have picked up steam today as Insider Gaming reports the title is called LEGO Horizon Adventures, and is essentially "Horizon Forbidden West but LEGO", and features "realistic graphics". In trying to envision what this game might look like, some...
News Iconic PS1 Sci-Fi Flight Sim G-Police Coming to PS5, PS4 with PS Plus Premium
Gee whiz
Psygnosis’s iconic PS1 flight combat game G-Police is the latest classic to get ported to PS5 and PS4 as part of Sony’s PS Plus Premium emulation efforts from 21st May. The title, originally released all the way back in 1997, sees you commandeering a VTOL in a futuristic, Blade Runner-inspired futuristic environment. While it largely...
News New PS2 Emulator Appears to Be Imminent on PS5, PS4
Uprendering! Rewind! Quick saves!
Here’s some potentially huge news, unearthed by the eagle-eyed Gematsu: a new PS2 emulator appears to be imminent for PS5 and PS4. As many of you will already know, Sony has been gradually deploying PS1 and PSP titles on the PS Store as part of its PS Plus Premium subscription, with all releases boasting video...
News Microsoft Leadership Reportedly Want No 'Red Line' Stopping Xbox Games Coming to PS5
Is nothing sacred?
A new report suggests that Microsoft's big boss, Satya Nadella, wants to bring more Xbox games to PlayStation as soon as possible. With the instant success Sea of Thieves found on Sony's platform, considered a "key test," it seems like the writing is on the wall at this point; Microsoft leadership reportedly wants there to be no...
News Sony Increasingly Focused on PS5 Playtime Alongside Hardware Sales
Following shift in the PS4 era
Businesses nowadays consider engagement and interest in their product line to essentially be just as important as hard sales numbers, and Sony is no different. During yesterday's conference call with investors to mark the end of Fiscal Year 2023, the general manager of finance at Sony, Sadahiko Hayakawa, explained how...
News Another 2,000 PS5, PS4 Games Discounted in Epic Sale
Don't stop spending
Wednesdays wouldn’t be the same without a ginormous PS Store sale to sink your teeth into, and this week is no different. Sony has plunged the price on another 2,000 titles today, with offers good through 29th May, 2024. Discounts top out at up to 95 per cent off, like Killing Floor 2, which can be yours for just £1.24...
Reaction Why You Shouldn't Worry Too Much About PS5's Year-on-Year Decline
Context is key
The games industry is caught in a tidal wave of negativity, and if you pay attention to social media, you may be forgiven for thinking the sky is falling. Sony posted a pretty positive financial report earlier this week, but the headlines that have come out of it run counter to that: PS5 declined 29 per cent year-over-year, is...
News Sony Shipped 4.5 Million PS5's Last Quarter, Almost Five Times More Than Xbox Series X|S
Estimates indicate enormous gap
As the industry digests the latest deluge of earnings reports, attempting to parse the information and present a clearer picture, one piece of news is likely to fuel more than a few pointless arguments on social media: despite marginally missing its own revised target, Sony shipped 4.5 million PS5s last quarter,...
News Shift Up Director Puts Stellar Blade, Sony Costume Conspiracy to Bed
Were we misled?
With Stellar Blade now out in the wild, impressing players with its action combat and plethora of cosmetic options for protagonist Eve, Shift Up director Kim Hyeong-tae has put a particular conspiracy to bed. Kim says that the redesigns of some Stellar Blade outfits were always intended to be the "final result" and not because of an...
News Crossplay in Ghost of Tsushima Co-Op on PC Starts as a Beta
Fully playable on Steam Deck
When it launches on PC later this week, the online co-op Legends mode in Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut will carry a beta tag when you wish to play with PS5, PS4 friends via crossplay. Rather than the final version of what port specialist Nixxes Software intends to ship, the developer is soliciting feedback so it can...
News PS Portal Still Going Strong, Demand in USA Exceeds Supply
The handheld that could
Sony's handheld streaming device, the PS Portal, continues to defy the company's expectations as it's revealed demand for the machine has "exceeded supply for several months" in the USA. Responding to a question on Twitter, executive director at Circana (formerly NPD) Mat Piscatella said that while Sony isn't shifting...
News Sony Committed to Better First-Party Games, 'Richer' Experiences, More PS5 Users
All part of a three-year plan
Sony is focusing on expanding its PS5 install base, the "enhancement of first-party software and PC deployment", and giving players "richer gaming experiences" as part of a three-year plan detailed in its latest financial results. The mid-term focus was quickly covered during the earnings call, revealing that Sony is...
News Sony Attracting More PSN Users Year-on-Year Despite Quarterly Dip
An extra 10 million online players
Sony's online PSN service is growing year-on-year at the moment, as 118 million monthly active users for the Q4 period of fiscal year 2023 represents an increase of 10 million compared to Q4 FY2022. The result beats all totals in the past fiscal year, with the only blemish on the record being it could have been...
News PS Plus Revenue Is on the Up Following 2022's Multi-Tiered Overhaul
That's a nice extra
PS Plus is back on the rise after a slightly rocky time following the service's big overhaul in 2022. As per Sony's latest financial results, the network services category — which comprises revenue from PS Plus and advertising — is up quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year, meaning it's comfortably improved since moving to the...
News PS5 Sales Reach 59.3 Million as Sony Falls Just Short of Fiscal Year Forecast
Happy new (financial) year
The PS5 is doing fantastically overall, although the console's results for the final quarter of Sony's fiscal year 2023 means it's fallen slightly behind the company's already-lowered forecast. The machine managed to ship 4.5 million units in the three-month period ending 31st March, 2024, bringing its total for FY23 to...
News PS5, PC Live Service Concord Will Launch in 2024
Expect much more information soon
Concord, the PS5 and PC shooter from new Sony team Firewalk Studios, will deploy in 2024 – at least, that’s the plan according to a business briefing from the Japanese giant. While the firm notes that release schedules are always subject to change, it included the title’s tentative launch window in a live...
News Helldivers 2 on PS5, PC Is Sony's Fastest Selling Game of All Time
Did you do your part?
This author’s got to put his hands up: there are Slack chat records of me saying Helldivers 2 would be a total and utter sales flop. As it happens, the release has now cemented itself as Sony’s fastest selling first-party title of all time, netting 12 million units in 12 weeks across PS5 and PC, accurate as of 5th May. That...
News Sony: The Future Is Incredibly Bright for PlayStation
Company to outline long-term vision later this month
Sony has replaced outgoing CEO Jim Ryan with an all-star tag-team partnership: Hermen Hulst will lead PS Studios and its intellectual property, while Hideaki Nishino will focus on hardware and services. The pair, together, will be tasked with leading PlayStation into a new era, as PS5 enters the...
News Hermen Hulst, Hideaki Nishino Replace Jim Ryan As PlayStation CEOs
Tag-team time
As the ol’ Spice Girls song goes: two become one. PlayStation has decided to replace Jim Ryan with two executives: Hermen Hulst, the former Guerrilla managing director and current PS Studios chief, will lead a newly named Studio Business Group unit, which will oversee all of the Japanese giant’s first-party studios, as well as its...
News PS Plus Adds Two Hour Trial for PS5's The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
Joining the club
If you’re yet to sample one of PlayStation’s greatest ever games, there’s no excuse for PS Plus Premium members: Sony has added a two hour trial of The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered to the top-tier of its subscription service. That 120 minutes should give you just enough time to see the title’s controversial twist, which...
News Fresh Sony Studio Reportedly Staffed by Former Deviation Games Devs
Jason Blundell back on deck
Following Deviation Games' closure and the mothballing of the high-profile PS5 game it was working on, it was unclear where the studio's storied talent would surface next. According to one former Deviation dev, many of the affected staff have formed a mysterious new studio at Sony, again working on an as-yet-unknown IP...
News Sony Delists Ghost of Tsushima PC from Steam Regions in Line with Helldivers 2
Where it stops, nobody knows
Following Sony's decision last week to delist Helldivers 2 in 170 regions worldwide on Steam, it seems this will be the firm's PC stance moving forward, and it has since done the same for the imminent PC release of Ghost of Tsushima. More regions have been added to the list, taking the total number of territories...
News Fans Positively Review Bomb Hi-Fi Rush in Wake of Xbox’s Closure of Tango Gameworks
Good?
In a development you don't see every day, following the closure of Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, swarms of fans have expressed their outrage by positively review bombing the game on Steam. This reverse review bombing campaign has resulted in several thousand Positive new reviews rising to the top since the news of Bethesda's...