Since reinventing its PS Plus tiers, the selection of retro content available on the PS5 and PS4 has improved dramatically – there’s no doubt about that.
But it’s still not really as good as it should be.
For large parts of this year, PS Plus Premium subscribers have been treated to just one new title per month, prompting many to ponder why the content isn’t coming quicker.
In an interview with YouTube channel Mystic, Bill Litshauer, the boss of emulation studio Implicit Conversions, sheds a little more light on just how difficult it is to get your favourite PS1 and PS2 games on modern hardware.
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The main thing is financial viability. Litshauer notes that it gauges interest from a variety of sources, including Reddit, YouTube, social media, and more. It then pairs that information with past sales trends to predict how a particular game will sell.
But that’s just the first hurdle: even if a game seems like a no-brainer, it then needs to get the publisher’s consent and clear legal complications. Sometimes the rights holder may have passed away, or there could be issues regarding content or licenses.
And there’s also a question of financial viability: Litshauer points out that retro re-releases are often sold quite cheaply, and that can make it difficult to make money back. Due to NDAs, he wasn’t able to elaborate on how his company’s relationship with Sony works.
One common method for bringing these games back, though, is through a revenue share program, where the publisher and developer will split the income until the development costs have been covered.
But for some publishers, this is small-fry.
Litshauer recalled one meeting he had with a high-ranking executive, who pointed out his company turns over $3 billion a year. The paltry profits being touted for retro releases doesn’t even register on the radar of some larger firms.
Despite all of these frustrations, we do think it’s generally a decent time for classic games. We’re seeing older titles increasingly resurrected, and while there’s a frustration it’s not all happening faster, it does feel like the market is beginning to mature.
With companies like Implicit Conversions popping up, we’re hopeful we’ll see more and more retro titles release over time.
We just hope more publishers get on board with the various programmes: these games may not be huge money makers, but there’s always value in ensuring classic titles are more readily available for everyone to enjoy.