Sony deserves some serious praise for the line-up of PlayStation 5 launch games it has managed to put together in the midst of a global pandemic, and it's a factor that Jim Ryan believes separates the console's release from what has come before it. In a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz, the PlayStation boss touched on how Sony has grown its first-party studios organically over decades rather than whipping out the cheque book over and over again.
Ryan says: "It's probably not widely appreciated or understood, to what extent that we have grown our own game development capability organically over the course of this generation. Obviously, it's been helped by the acquisition of Insomniac, and it's wonderful to have them as part of the family. I would just invite anybody to look at the launch window line-up of the PS4 generation, or PS3 generation, and compare it to what we are going to bring in the equivalent phase of PS5. There's just no comparison."
Indeed, the PS3 launch line-up basically consisted of Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm, while PS4 had Killzone: Shadow Fall and Resogun to shout about. But when the PS5 drops, there'll be Demon's Souls, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Astro's Playroom. That's quite the difference, isn't it? This is something we called attention to in a recent article, and it only gets better as you factor in the titles scheduled for 2021 such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Horizon Forbidden West.
Jim Ryan then goes on to explain that this is the result of "very, very steadily, carefully planned organic growth" instead of quick-fire spending sprees. "Very quietly, in a very PlayStation way, we've been building something quite special with these studios [referring to Sucker Punch Productions]. You can do it with frenzied acquisition, or measured acquisition, or you can do it organically."
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 44
No Knack on the ps4 lineup? Come on
"You can do it with frenzied acquisition, or measured acquisition, or you can do it organically."
I bet that was said in the same tone of voice as us Brits do when we say "You're welcome" after someone doesn't thank you for holding a door open for them.
@Crimson_Ridley definitely, considering Jim is one of us himself.
Hi there fellow gamers.
For sure, PS5 launch lineup has awesome bangers like Demon´s Souls remake, Spiderman: Mile Morales, Sackboy Big Adventure and Godfall. Impressive stuff indeed.
Can´t wait to play them all.
Cheers, stay safe out there and happy gaming to us all
@HammerKirby3 loved Knack. Need Knack 3.
I was pretty excited to play Killzone Shadow Fall when the PS4 launched but it was pretty bare bones in terms of variety.
But I'm super excited for the PS5's lineup, especially with Astro's Playroom being pre-installed, Bugsnax on PS+ and my entire PS4 catalogue being playable along with my POs.
I mean it's got 2 great exclusives at launch but its not an overwhelming avalanche of great software that Sony seems to be implying. Sackboy will probably be good but not a game changer and Astro is a vehicle to display the controller, albeit a cute one. All that said in still excited but realistic.
Meanwhile XSX has nothing mindblowing but solid backwards compatibility.
I'm all for growing studios organically. That sounds perfect to me. I'm not oppose to small studios (or studios that have worked a lot with the brand like Bluepoint Games, etc) acquisitions either.
And yes, compare to the previous lineups (PS3, PS4), this one is much much better. Not denying that.
I mean, that's like admitting "last few goes were a bit bad"
I mean, he's not wrong. It's an unbelievable first year on the back of one of PS4's best years as well.
Agreed. Most hyped launch line up, even more hyped for the launch year
Keep telling yourself that, Ryan. 😒
For me this is def the best launch games for PlayStation. I also agree with Jim’s comments regarding studios. Nurturing & guiding existing studios is the way forward. If special studios pop up, then as a business it makes sense to acquire them. Hopefully Sony buy bluepoint. For what they’ve done for the shadow of colossus,drake collection etc, & now demons souls. Bluepoint would be a great fit for dormant Sony franchises, like resistance, syphon filter etc.
There looks to be some good games in the launch lineup, But you can play most of them on current hardware. I personally don’t believe it’s worth investment in a new console for the foreseeable future for myself.
Resistance and Motorstorm had me more excited.
Technically, isn’t Demon Souls the only true PS5 game?
On one hand yes, on the other, having the games on PS4 also basically takes much of the value away. I think it is a smart move business wise but now has a day one PS5 owner I don't think I'm SUPER excited to play any of the games that are available on PS4 too.
Returnal is what I want:)
"steadily, carefully planned organic growth" it's not so organic then if it's been planned so much, is it? 😂 Weird corporatespeak aside, he's right that the PS5 launch is leaps and bounds ahead of Sony's launch offerings all the times before! It seriously feels like there's something for everyone and not one Sony game looks like it's dropping the ball.
Seeing that PS3 launch lineup reminds me of how much I loved both Resistance and Motorstorm, such a jump up coming from PS2 before it.
Killzone Shadowfall is one of the only games this generation I started and didn't finish, just didn't grab me, although Resogun and Contrast on PS plus were great.
PS5 launch gives me that same PS3 launch game excitement and that's no bad thing
Ironically Sony's best launch lineup was the PSVita:
Everybody's Golf, WipEout 2048, Uncharted: GA, Super Stardust Delta, Lumines: ES, Touch My Katamari, Disgaea 3, Silent Hill: BoM, Unit 13.
Definitely in the top 3 launch lineups of all time. (OG Xbox and the Wii being the other 2)
@Synthatron_Prime
To be fair, Sony also has excellent backwards compatibility with the entire PS4 catalogue.
Hey, Jim Ryan, I really liked Killzone: Shadow Fall! There are dozens of us!
Get in Jim. I was wondering when they would comment on the recent purchasing spree by microsoft.
I think its fair to say though that behind the scenes Sony are not best pleased with what's gone down
"There's just no comparison." How pompous of you Jim. I think it's pretty even actually, Miles Morales, Sackboy and any other game that's on PS4 don't count.
@thefourfoldroot They do! Microsoft's is just more comprehensive and fully featured so it has me more excited than PS5 backwards compatibility at the moment.
The first years of ps5 is kind of crazy, with demon's souls launch for the hardcore, spidey mm for casuals, sackboy and asto playroom for family, and there's still others future games like gran turismo 7, ratchet & clank, horizon 2, and exclusive 3rd party like ff16 and godfall.
This is the best 1st year of any playstation ever I think, only ps2 come close.
@Arugula how? Guessing it's bc of a lack of "true launch exclusives "?
I’m really underwhelmed by the launch titles... I’ll wait for horizon to come out I think
@MrSensical It's a business term not a literal one. Organic expansion is when a company diversifies it's portfolio by itself. Inorganic expansion is when the company buys another company, or forms a merger with one.
@Arugula I think even if you look at Demon's Soule vs Knack and Killzone Shadow Fall ps5 still wins and yes I know Demon's Souls is a ps3 remake
Not only at launch but the first year of PS5, assuming no major delays, is pretty impressive. Horizon: Forbidden West and God of War: Ragnarok will both be game-of-the-year contenders. Not to mention titles like Ratchet & Clank, Returnal, Gran Turismo 7 aside from the launch with Demon’s Souls, Spiderman: MM.
It really is an incredible first-party showing for its first year on the market.
@Synthatron_Prime
Meh, it’s got two and three generation old games that play better, and some fake hdr. Nothing really exciting. If they actually deliver on the auto doubling of frame rate from 30 to 60 without the need for dev intervention then that will be a little exciting.
For me, I love the MS BC focus from a preservation perspective but I’d never actually play games that are several generations old.
@thefourfoldroot I guess that's where we differ. I love playing older 3D games with a boost in performance. It's like buying a newer video card for you PC and seeing how your older favorites run. To each their own of course.
Ok so Demon's Souls, Spider-Man and Sackboy basically since Astro is a pack in game and isn't really much of a game as much as it is an interactive experience that just shows off what the controller is capable of.
Instead of two titles, there's three, and a bunch of multiplatform stuff in between. It's still better than the Series X/S launch lineup but then again three first party games is better than zero.
@Synthatron_Prime
The thing is, I don’t replay games (other than Astro Bot Rescue Mission). So better performance on games I no longer want to play is not that exciting to me. I’ve just constantly got new games to play, and the few I missed through the years were not of the highest importance to me, clearly. To each there own. It’s like some people like watching the same movies or reading the same books constantly...it’s just not me. Onwards and potentially upwards as far as I’m concerned, lol.
It's not an amazing lineup and I feel that Jim is just talking PR bluster.
A remake, a bundled tech demo, a PS+ freebie and 2 PS4 games doesn't blow me away.
If you look at just exclusives then no its not a great lineup, actually is there any exclusives given Demon's Souls was a PS3 game? And even if you count the remake then its just one game and a tech demo which does look charming
Im glad i didnt play demons souls much, thats the only game im interested in
It's poor. MM will be on PS4 and Demon's Souls looks pretty but not too much different to the original in gameplay.
Sackboy? Please. No one is buying a ps5 for this.
I don't think the line up is that impressive. There are some good games coming out, but not headlines, let's go make press statements about it. The only launch titles that really stands out to me are Godfall and Astros. Everything else has been done before and isn't THAT special, where you need to explain to the people how this magic happened. I would have been more impressed with Destruction All-Stars being included as a free launch title, alongside the Last of US 2 mutiplayer stand alone. Then I'D make a press statement about a strong launch.
Other then Godfall, I will be relying on PS4 games that are getting updated like NMS. They should have just talked about the PS4 games that are going to make the launch something special.
It's definitely a better games launch than the PS4 was. However PS4 had a better and more information prior to release. But those days of massive events have gone forever in the world now that COVID is now here.
@NeuralDeclan
IMO, the only truly bad PS launch to me was the PS2. That launch lineup was terrible, especially compared to excellence that was the Dreamcast launch a year before it.
But by the end of the first year, the PS2 had a bunch of amazing exclusives that blew the socks off of anything else.
The GameCube launch was pretty great. Luigi’s Mansion, Pikmin, and Melee (it wasn’t a launch day title but it was close enough) and the Xbox had Halo, best game of 01 in my opinion.
@carlos82 Well I'd consider Demon's Souls its own thing. It is a PS3 game but it's also a drastically overhauled remake to the point where it can be treated as basically a new game. Other than that yeah the point stands this lineup ain't that amazing
There is absolutely nothing that interests me day one which is why I will no be purchasing on launch
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