Sucker Punch is supposedly planning to cough up inFAMOUS: Second Son in time for the PlayStation 4’s launch later this year. While the Bellevue-based studio failed to cite a timeline during its dramatic portion of last month’s PlayStation Meeting press conference, a couple of employee resumes uncovered over the weekend hinted at the title’s 2013 release. But with the PlayStation Vita’s post-launch struggles still ringing in Sony’s ears, should the platform holder resist the temptation to release too many first-party titles at once?
With the likes of Killzone: Shadow Fall, DriveClub, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag all more or less guaranteed to be deployed alongside the next generation system this holiday, as well as the usual mix of sports games and digital downloads, Sony has the chance to really spread its exclusive wares out, and ensure that the console’s first six months on the market aren’t plagued by the kind of adverse headlines that still haunt the Vita to this very day.
Obviously, finding the right balance is important. There needs to be enough software available on launch day to ensure that early adopters are properly satisfied. But gamers are greedy, and easily forget. For the platform holder’s most recent handheld, a day-one offering of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, WipEout 2048, Super Stardust Delta, and many, many more, quickly devolved into complaints of “no games” as the four month wait for Gravity Rush took its toll on content-starved consumers. Sony must avoid the same situation with the PS4.
It’s not like it doesn’t have the resources to pack the next generation platform’s launch window with high-profile software. Earlier in the year, Worldwide Studios executive Shuhei Yoshida noted that every single team under its first-party umbrella was working on the futuristic machine. Many of those outfits – such as Naughty Dog and Sony Santa Monica – have divided into multiple units over the past couple of years, meaning that there’s guaranteed to be a wealth of content in production behind the scenes. And that doesn’t take into account second parties such as Quantic Dream and Ready at Dawn, both of which are thought to be working on exclusive titles, too.
With such a wealth of content presumably in the pipeline, it’s pivotal that the platform holder plans its release schedule properly. Dropping everything on one day will definitely prompt fervour from early adopters, but the enthusiasm will be swiftly displaced by disappointment if the momentum isn’t continued through the full launch window. Sony needs to ensure that as soon as consumers get restless, it has something new to offer. The likes of inFAMOUS: Second Son and Knack would be ideal titles to bridge the gap between release and E3.
These games could still play a part in the launch, too. Sony could ensure that demos for each of the upcoming titles are available from day one, driving traffic to the PlayStation Store and also giving consumers a taste of what to expect from the PS4 over the coming months. The important thing is that the system stays in the limelight throughout its full launch window, occupying headlines on specialist websites and advertising spots in magazines and newspapers. Unlike the Vita, the post-release discussion must centre on what is in the pipeline, rather than what isn’t.
And this is an area that the PlayStation manufacturer has a distinct advantage over Microsoft. While we’re sure that the next Xbox will launch alongside a decent roster of software, the strength of Sony’s aforementioned Worldwide Studios portfolio will allow the company to really pack the PS4 with content. But it needs to ensure that those titles release at the right time in order to keep the system in the minds of consumers. Deploying everything on launch day will only result in the releases cannibalising each other. Let’s have a nice steady stream, please.
Would you prefer an enormous PS4 launch line-up, or a more spread out launch window offering? Is there any title in particular that you think must be available on day one? Let us know in the comments section below.
Do you think that Sony should spread out the PS4's launch line-up? (27 votes)
- Yes, don’t repeat the same mistakes as the Vita
- I'm not really sure, to be honest
- No, I want to play everything on day one
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Comments 13
I want the games to be staggered but the game i want to play most so far, is inFamous:Second Son. So i still want that one game to be available at launch.
I don't think "at launch" equals "launch day". If you're a game maker you want your game out there during the holiday shopping season, waiting until Feb or March is not a good way to ring up sales. How crowded the shelves are depends in part on when the console launch day is. Which Is why I don't understand why systems launch so close to Christmas, Sept. or Oct. would seem a better time to let the early adopters get theirs before the holiday shoppers start buying and you can have new games come out over 3 or 4 months rather than 1 week. If I'm a game company I want the holiday, and if I'm a good game company I'll let other lesser companies worry about switching their dates, I'm keeping mine.
My first thought was that it wouldn't be a problem, but after reading the article it makes sense to hold it back. The previous InFamous games have found popularity by releasing in June when the rest of the release schedule was barren.
Interesting
Give all the food to the cow at once or bit by bit case if they do this will just end with Wii U that it was kinda starving for games till this month.
PS: All the talking points I think it would be better if there was a chatroom to keep discussing it.
@Epic Interesting idea. Do you mean like a live chatroom?
@get2sammyb
Just like that think about it please it would be really amazing to talk everyone from Pushsquare and some staff too.
Yeah, live chat discussion would be really interesting for this kind of debate...and the Push Square community is still small enough for it to be feasible, too.
As for this issue...I'm with 3Above...I want this game at launch. Really, there's not all that much exciting software announced for PS4 yet IMO, but this InFamous counts.
For me, the problem with the Vita launch wasn't too much all at once followed by a dry spell, it was only one game I wanted at launch followed by a dry spell. Quantity means little if you don't want to play all of them anyway.
Considering that I am somewhat interested in nearly every announced PS4 game, I wouldn't mind if they were staggered a bit.
I disagree. They need inFAMOUS at launch. It's up to Sony to have games ready for the first 6 months of the console's lifespan until some E3 announcements. They need to figure out a way to put out some quality content in their initial run so the system doesn't go through a dry period the way the Vita is going through one now. That would be the perfect time to introduce some new IP's or secure some exclusives from the 3rd parties.
They should really come out the gate with first party title after first party title, and then gradually slow it down a bit, keeping a steady flow of games coming out as the PS4 runs the course of it's life cycle. That way, instead of getting a ton of good games late in the life cycle, Sony's teams could work on new games for the following generation and be prepared again.
Also, I think @Epic has a great idea there. A live chat room hosted by the editors would be an awesome way to discuss such a topic. I think a feature like this would really distinguish PushSquare (as well as NLife and PureXBOX too) from the rest of the gaming sites. Everytime an interesting topic came up in gaming news, all the users could be invited for a discussion on a private chat room.
inFAMOUS: Second Son is definitely my most anticipated game coming for the PS4. I think that Sony need the heavy hitter exclusives, such as Killzone and inFAMOUS, at launch in order to start the PS4 off with a bang. But, I'm sure they have plenty more announcements in store for games that will be post-launch. I am really looking forward to what Naughty Dog and Santa Monica have in store for us as well. E3 cannot come soon enough this year.
I think @Stuffgamer1 hit the nail on the head, it doesn't matter how fun or original your games are if nobody finds them exciting enough. Thats the problem with games like Gravity Rush, they just don't grab peoples' attention compared to something like Mario or COD does.
Sony needs to make sure there are enough eye catching exclusive games to hold peoples' interest.
No they need to come out swinging put out the games can show all the new things the ps4 can do,and to shut down the house of Xbox naysayers and jaded media reviewers.
For their hearts are dark and full of terror.
When the PS4 is new it's going to need games that show off what the system is capable of.
What's really the benefit of delaying it unless it's to finish it (hopefully avoiding day one patches, etc)???
Two great games at launch and one coming soon, or three great games at launch? Either way there's three great games there. Delaying it a month or two, what's the point? If other potential PS4 buyers are like me, then it will reduce launch sales, because if 2nd Son is not a launch title, I'll wait til it comes out before buying a PS4.
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