Talking Point: Are You Getting Sick of Sony's Supposedly 'Samey' Approach to Story Telling? 1
Image: Push Square

A new IGN article about Sony’s approach to story telling in its first-party games has gone viral.

The piece – entitled ‘I’m Getting Bored of Every PlayStation Game Telling the Same Story’ – has attracted both agreement and ire in equal measure, as any good op-ed should.

But do you agree with it?

The underlying thesis for the write-up is one we’ve heard a few times before: Sony’s stable of first-party developers – from Naughty Dog to Santa Monica Studio – are increasingly making games centred around the theme of “grief” or “revenge” to drive their narrative direction.

Subscribe to Push Square on YouTube166k

PlayStation has, of course, made its name in recent years telling more “mature” tales with lifelike visuals, outstanding movie-level performances, and unrivalled production values.

Talking Point: Are You Getting Sick of Sony's Supposedly 'Samey' Approach to Story Telling? 2

It’s these single player games that fans are demanding when the platform holder talks about its investment into live service.

But for the article mentioned above, the narratives – once original and unique – are beginning to blend together.

The Last of Us 2 is a game, for example, about the cycle of violence. Through Ellie’s crusade for vengeance – and, brilliantly, Abby’s turn as the protagonist – we understand what happens when someone is unable to let their anger go.

It’s a theme we’ve also seen in God of War, beginning with the original Greek trilogy (not mentioned in the article) through to its Norse successor, which deals more in the themes of grief.

And we suppose the trigger point for this article is Ghost of Yotei, which follows new heroine Atsu in her pursuit of revenge against the Yotei Six.

Talking Point: Are You Getting Sick of Sony's Supposedly 'Samey' Approach to Story Telling? 3

The article goes on to explore other examples of familial grief present in games like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Returnal, but leaves out efforts such as Horizon Forbidden West and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

While we think the point is a little loose, we do understand where the author is coming from to an extent.

There’s a connective tissue between many of Sony’s games – from the third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective to the high-stakes drama of the storylines – that may not appeal to everyone. It’s indicative of what PlayStation is in 2025.

But it is important to point out those examples which don’t fit the blueprint, at least for the purpose of balance if nothing else.

Horizon Forbidden West, for example, shares much more in common with Young Adult Fiction than the high-stakes HBO-style drama of some of Sony’s other offerings.

Talking Point: Are You Getting Sick of Sony's Supposedly 'Samey' Approach to Story Telling? 4

There are elements of familial grief – Rost, for example, in the original Horizon Zero Dawn game – but on the whole it’s about a post-apocalyptic world ruled by robotic dinosaurs created by tech bros. It doesn’t fit the blueprint at all.

In fact, neither does Astro Bot or Stellar Blade.

(And it goes without saying that Gran Turismo 7 isn’t about a Nissan Skyline seeking revenge after its precursor was sent to the scrap heap.)

The reality is that grief and revenge are very natural elements of the human condition, and are the jumping off point for many narratives – both within the games industry and beyond it.

Many consider Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to be one of the standout releases of the year, and so much of its story revolves around familial strife and the impact of loss.

In fact, the whole plot is about squads of brave warriors stepping beyond the curtain of their world to try and put a stop to a tradition that annually robs them of those they love.

Talking Point: Are You Getting Sick of Sony's Supposedly 'Samey' Approach to Story Telling? 5

It begs the question: if Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had been a PS Studios production, would it be falling foul to these same accusations too? And would that make it any less of a great game?

The reality is there’s a lot more to Sony’s stable than just the “sad dad” adventures it’s so often criticised for making.

Next year’s fighting game Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is only likely to touch upon revenge when you hammer that “rematch” button while playing with pals. And we know so little about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet that it’d be unfair to group it in the same category as well.

Perhaps Marvel’s Wolverine, a vicious adaptation of the popular comic book character, will deal in similar themes.

But isn’t that intrinsic to the character? And if that’s the case, why isn’t the original comic book publisher getting criticised for creating a protagonist with loosely similar motivations and emotional arcs to, say, Spider-Man?

Talking Point: Are You Getting Sick of Sony's Supposedly 'Samey' Approach to Story Telling? 6

The reality, in our opinion, is because even though there may be overlap between the themes of some of these games, they’re not the same. The Last of Us 2 is nothing like God of War Ragnarok – its world-building and character motivations are entirely different.

It’s undoubtedly true that PS Studios’ stable of teams may be inspired and motivated by each other, and that probably does lead to some similarities as the teams share ideas and influences.

But all of the games discussed ultimately have their own tone, identity, and lore.

There are surface similarities, yes, but it’s reductive to collect them all in one basket because they all have a similar vibe. It’s like saying you’re bored of sci-fi because so much of it is set in space.

The greater criticism here, we think, is that not everyone vibes with Sony’s more dramatic, cinematic approach to storytelling. And while that doesn’t inhabit every game it publishes – as we already established – it is a part of its DNA.

Talking Point: Are You Getting Sick of Sony's Supposedly 'Samey' Approach to Story Telling? 7

But while we can understand and appreciate that’s not every player’s cup of tea, it also just so happens to be what PlayStation excels at.

It’d be like telling Nintendo to stop making vibrant, colourful character platformers because it’s getting boring. Again, that’s not everything the Mario maker releases – but it does represent a significant proportion of it.

It also feels ironic to be having this conversation at a time when PlayStation’s ambition to have success in different fields, like live service shooters with the juggernaut Helldivers 2 and the disaster Concord, has been met with such resistance from fans. But perhaps that’s a different discussion for a different day.

Ultimately, we want to turn the conversation over to you, because we’re curious if you’re feeling a similar sense of fatigue to the author of IGN’s article. And if so, what are the similarities between these stories specifically that’s turning you away?

Talking Point: Are You Getting Sick of Sony's Supposedly 'Samey' Approach to Story Telling? 8

Are you tired of Sony first-party’s supposedly samey storylines? Are you itching for a bit more variety from your PlayStation exclusives, and can you pick out any specific examples of what you actually want? Make your case in the comments section below.

Do you think Sony's stories are getting samey? (2,034 votes)

  1. Yes, many of its games deal with similar themes21%
  2. A little bit, but I enjoy them anyway27%
  3. No, this is a reductive way to look at its output52%