Some PS5 fans have been a little frustrated by Sony's output over the last few years, with what feels like fewer brand new games and an increase in remasters and remakes. While that's an understandable frustration, ex-PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida says these projects are necessary to allow first-party teams to keep making original titles.

Speaking on Kinda Funny Games, Yoshida is asked if there's anything he hears a lot from fans that is wrong, or perhaps just ill-informed, and he talks about how he sees a lot of commentary about remasters.

"I joked about [PlayStation co-CEO Hermen Hulst] being criticised for making too many remasters," Yoshida says. "I think the people who complain about that are maybe thinking Hermen is doing that instead of doing something new. But I'm sure these remakes are made by a dedicated, different team, or some porting teams, especially the PC version. So I don't think he's sacrificing anything by doing [remasters]."

Yoshida continues, pointing out that a remake or remaster project is "much cheaper to produce, creates additional revenue, and creates new users to the IP, especially when you port the game to PC".

Making remasters, PC ports, and remakes can bring in "enough revenue to keep investing in big titles", Yoshida says. "Single-player games now cost so much, so they need additional income by doing remasters and porting to PC to be able to do that."

He concludes by saying that if remaster naysayers "like first-party's output, the big single-player games, they should support Hermen doing these porting and remasters so that he can keep investing in these great new games".

There have been a fair number of remakes and remasters this generation, not to mention all Sony's PC porting efforts, so we do understand where people are coming from when they roll their eyes at, for example, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

However, Yoshida's point makes a lot of sense. It might not be the sort of answer people like, but as game budgets skyrocket, companies like PlayStation need to generate more funds somehow, and this is just one avenue that helps the platform holder to keep producing top-tier original software.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments section below.

[source youtu.be]