To be fair to Astro Bot, sales look soft for all software based on those figures. Hardware sales are atrocious though. Who'd have thought raising the price would put people off...
No. Only way I get a pro is if my standard PS5 stops working. And only then if it has had a significant price cut. Would rather keep the money for PS6.
Pro is completely unecessary. PS5 surely hasn't come close to reaching its potential. If it has, that is concerning.
Will be amazed if this sells well. It's absolutely the definition of enthusiast device. Hope Sony isn't banking on selling large numbers - they won't at that price that's for sure. But of course if you wait 12 months the price might be 800 quid so...
If this is dropping for 700 quid, goodness knows what PS6 would launch at.
I still dont get why this is needed. Yes I get the 4k, 60 fps issue is an issue for some, but is it worth 700 pounds (plus extra for a disc drive)?
I don't believe we are anywhere close to tapping out the base PS5. Most titles are still running on PS4 Xbox series S after all.
Didn't they learn from the early Assassins Creed titles that people hate instant fail stealth missions. They made a big song and dance at the time that they had listened and learnt. Genuinely surprised to see the mechanic return in a Ubisoft title
@UltimateOtaku91 No, I completely agree! Sony can't be held to account for lower than expected sales (read NOT poor sales). They marketed the heck out of the Final Fantasy titles. FF16 even got its own State of Play. Even Foamstars was heavily represented
Yes. Given the buster sword was in Astro's Playroom no reference to anything square enix is very noticeable by its absence. I really do hope it isn't down to a falling out between Sony and Square Enix.
Square has made some odd comments recently and there seem to have been some grumblings holding Playstation accountable for FF16 and 7 rebirth not hitting sales targets.
Of course it's equally too easy to read too much into this until either party makes a statement 😅
My two kids are playing Astro Bot now and whooping and cheering over it. It's a hit with all generations. This is what gaming is all about and what Sony has missed for ages.
Well done Team Asobi
(Though if my 4 year old thinks he is trying the new dualsense with the white sticks he is sadly mistaken 🤣)
I put a big list in a previous article so I won't repeat it here. But I do think the gaming division has been unfairly lumped in with the movie and animation department. Sony has a wealth of untapped ip they are sitting on in the vaults
I think Sony should take a good look through the archives and see what could be updated for a modern audiences, taking the lessons it has learnt over the past 30 years of game development.
Nintendo has shown that there is no such thing as a dead ip if you can bring it back in an updated and different way. Heck, Mario has been slapped onto all sorts of different genres over the years and his popularity is only growing. So there is nothing stopping Sony looking to try something original with some of its IP.
I keep coming back to Killzone and Resistance and think there is easily fuel left in the tank of those franchises for a revival to provide the online shooter they crave.
The Getaway could have provided a useful stopgap between GTA releases, but no where to be seen.
Uncharted 4 is 8 years old. The franchise is long overdue a return, particularly with Tomb Raider seemingly in development hell as the ip gets thrown around different developers.
Syphon filter would provide something different in a market crying out for new stealth titles.
Siren could capitalise on the revival of survival horror resulting from the recent success of the resident evil franchise.
Tip of the iceberg, but my point is, there is a lot of money and potential being left on the table.
I will say if Sony want to invest in new ip, they won't find me complaining. I just wonder how much they will take the financial risk in today's environment. With that said, look at how that leap of faith has worked with titles like the last of us, Ghost of Tsushima, and Horizon.
Best of luck to them. An interesting few years ahead
@PuppetMaster it is concerning. They just need a brief look back at their lineage and history. Money sitting on the table.
Sony seem to misunderstand and think everything needs to be a 100 million, 60 hour epic in order to sell. They could easily fund 3 or 4 quality 20 hour titles (see uncharted lost legacy, Miles morales) for a fraction of the cost and at significantly reduced development times. This is what Shawn Layden called for all those years ago, but he seems to have been ignored. It's so daft.
They could immediately reduce the risk associated with many of these games, and they would no doubt be better off for it. Astro Bot getting the rave reviews it's getting today is the PERFECT example of that.
Sony themselves said not to expect any major titles this year, meaning that they don't consider this a tentpole release. Yet I bet Astro Bot does significantly better than many titles that have spent years in development and cost double the price to make.
@The_Wailing_Doom Haha, good spot! I completely agree. I don't see why it should be one or the other with Sony and superhero games. The InFamous series was excellent and arguably there is more freedom to really experiment and go wild with the formula if not tied into marvel licensing. For example they could make a much darker game to balance out the lighterheartedness of marvel content. Second son released 10 years ago, so something new is long overdue (and it doesn't even need to come from suckered punch necessarily as I appreciate they are deep into development of the successor to the wonderful ghost of tsushima)
Get Hiroki Totoki in front of this to see all the Sony IP that could do with dusting off given his recent comments that playstation has a lack of ip. There is loads of forgotten ip Sony should be looking to bring back in some capacity:
Resistance, ape escape, killzone, medieval, patapon, uncharted, syphon filter, motor storm, days gone, infamous, Gravity rush, wipeout, Sly cooper, infamous, puppeteer, Parappa, jak and daxter, siren, little big planet, Socom, Siren, warhawk being just a few examples that spring to mind.
Massive congratulations Team Asobi on knocking this out of the park.
@riceNpea Hogwarts had zero microtransactions. There were fears before launch that the room of requirement would add GAAS elements, but that wasn't the case at all.
I believe that there was a single dlc pack with an optional combat arena, but nothing that would interfere with the game.
Open up the world further (let us properly explore diagon alley, and the wider wizarding world (ministry of magic etc).
Develop a stronger story with more impactful side quests
Improve enemy variety
add quidditch
less padding (merlin trials, I'm looking at you)
The first game was very good and really created a wonderful sense of place. But there were definitely numerous areas where they could improve in future titles
This is really bad. Like catastrophically bad for Playstation. Seeing SIE on the box has always indicated a seal of quality, an unmissable experience - and it's what drove the momentum from the end of the PS3 generation, through PS4 (winning them the spectacular market share for that gen), and is what has driven the sales of PS5 to date.
But if you cannot rely on Sony first party any more (even in this one instance), then that starts to build doubt amongst consumers, and they might not rush out to buy the next AAA exclusive. And given how Sony has behaved this generation, it might impact the transition into a theoretical Playstation 6.
Through the poor communication, lack of a product roadmap, failure to hype up the core with proper showcases, Sony have shown themselves to be out of touch with their core customers. It's damaged my enjoyment of gaming this generation, that's for sure. The magic has gone to be replaced by soulless, corporate greed.
I feel like PS4 generation was a success due to the legacy of the likes of Shawn Layden. He warned about this happening. And everything now seems to be coming home to roost.
Jim on the otherhand was a business man without a clear passion for gaming. And we'll have to see with Hermen Hulst. A nice guy - but im not sure if he is a leader - he has a lot of work to do to prove he is the man for the job.
Ultimately the Sony magic we once knew, is gone. Whereas we used to see sprinklings of originality from the likes of Japan Studio (who - whilst their titles didn't sell big numbers - they eclipsed Concord, particularly when you take into consideration the reduced development time and production costs), now Sony seems to have lost sight of its roots and what made them who they were. They only see pounds, dollars, euros and money. Whereas before they had heart
Sony CANNOT blame anyone but themselves. They have been told by their customers time and time again what they want. But they have chosen to stop listening. They need a massive turn around - starting this month - to reassure customers and win back ailing support for the platform.
Because as it stands currently - it's not only fairgames and marathon that look set to fail - but also the likes of the until dawn remake, PS5 pro etc. Sony really need to get back to looking at the general mood in the gaming community because it doesn't look great right now
I really hope that when Sony reflect on this whole mess they recognise that the problem doesn't solely sit with Concord. It feels like the wrong game launching at the wrong time. When SIE has stubbornly refused to speak to it's customers in a meaningful way - for years at this point - this does feel like a backlash against wider issues at play. If the game had dropped in a small gap amongst some of Playstation's bigger single player IP, and there was clarity that Sony is still investing in the types of games that it has become known for, there is a chance this would have been received more positively. SIE need to sit down and really take the time to listen.
Concord was always facing an uphill battle - particularly as one of the first live service titles to release. If Sony wanted to test the waters of live service, there were so many existing ip crying out for a new lease of life that could have been considered (for examplSocom, MAG, Killzone, Resistance, Warsaw, Starhawk Twisted metal).
As I said elsewhere, the ramifications of these losses will be huge. It won't just be concord / firewalk affected, but Playstation's whole business for years to come. You can't just write off losses like this. And with Marathon and Fairgame$ to come, and the disaster that has been the bungie aquisition? It doesn't look good.
This whole live service experiment appears to have been jumped into two footed without feeling the pulse of the gaming community. It's possible that concord DID look unique when it was first shown to Sony - but an 8 year dev cycle is just far too long and new, fresh ideas will have overtaken it, and those games that got to market first have established strong player bases which are unlikely to jump into another online hero shooter.
I have said since PS5 launched something is not right at Sony. They are not listening to what the community is telling them. More losses to come I'm afraid.
If they think PS5 Pro will be a massive success - particularly in this financial climate - I'm afraid to say that i think they are sorely mistaken. When they are still increasing the price of PS5 around the world (and yet to max out its potential), i don't see many upgrading to a new machine right now.
I really hope Astrobot performs well this week, and Sony get some goodwill back with a strong State of Play in September - because it's looking a little concerning right now.
As for Concord / Firewalk, it is a shame that it has come to this - as others have said, the best thing to do right now might be to resurrect factions and let them work on curating / sustaining an audience for that if they are set to continue as a live service studio. I'm not sure Sony would be able to set them off on a new game right now with another protracted development timeline - but i certainly dont want to be reading an article in a few weeks telling us that the studio has been shuttered and more developers have lost their jobs. Because by all accounts, Concord appears to have been competently put together and launched in a decent state. There are clearly talented developers at the studio and I hope a solution can be found to keep everyone employed
I wonder if they were reliant / had hopes of being acquired by Playstation if Until Dawn landed well but Sony is not currently in a merger and aquisition phase.
Some downsizing is natural once contractors work is complete on a title, but this sounds more severe than that
I do worry about the knock on impact from an abysmal failure such as this. It's been well reported that companies can't afford to just write off game failures any more. Goodness knows how much it cost to make concord, but the impact will inevitably filter down to Sony's other studios (and this being a new ip doesn't bode well for Sony signing off on new titles in future). The same vibe is also being felt around Fairgames - so Sony have a job on their hands to turn things around before it releases.
I hope Astrobot does very well, because otherwise this could be a tough winter for Sony as until dawn is already sounding like it is going to struggle given the high cost of entry
Could they make it free to play for like a couple of characters until you rank them up to level 5 or 10. That would give more people an incentive to at least try the game and decide if it's for them (although I'm not sure if you rank / level up characters up like that in concord). Progress could then be carried over to the main game if you decide to purchase the full title.
I do think the article has probably hit the nail on the head. A lot of people will see this as one of the poster boys for Sony's push for live service. With a lack of a clear roadmap telling gamers what else is coming in the near future, then this is getting more of a reaction compared to if it had dropped between two major AAA releases. Because by all accounts, this isn't a bad game - it's just coming across as quite generic in a sea of live service games with established player bases from other studios
Machine games probably also delighted that the work already done to develop the game on PS5 before Microsoft bought Bethesda and renegotiated exclusivity with Disney won't be going to waste
Yet more evidence that the ps5 pro is completely unecessary. Who will be able to justify buying one at whatever price it finally launches at. Economic situation around the world isn't getting any better is it.
Better that Sony focus on optimising titles for release on the current PS5 imo, and look to delivering a larger technical leap for a likely PS6
I'm sure nintendo is looking very closely at this. If they can undercut the base PS5 with Switch 2 they are already onto a winner
Speaking of ubisoft, did anyone see Will Ospreay's incredible Assassins Creed Shadows inspired entrance and ring gear (complete with Roger Craig-Smith / Ezio introduction) at the AEW wrestling all in PPV last night? Incredible:
Crikey. She will be properly OP of they do this. My party of choice was Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie. I was surprised to see Yuffie usurp Red XIII who I always mained in the original game (with vincent), but she was a joy to use and one of the more versatile characters for aerial and ranged combat
Looking forward to playing this at the full price...of my PS Plus subscription when it drops in a couple of years. Great game but not sure it needed to be remade, even with the additions. Would have bought a sequel though!
I'd love a chance to play again but Square don't need to worry about a remake given their financial situation. Just make them playable on PS5 and I'll be happy.
Loved the game but I know the plot and for this type of game, it's not enough to just improve the visuals. Would have bought a sequel, but I don't think I'll be buying this
I get the game doesn't look great but I'm not really sure people celebrating it's (presumed) failure is a great look tbh. Just don't buy it.
I hope it does well enough to secure Firewalk's future (and keeps its employees in post).
But I do hope that Sony gets the message that this isn't the direction that people want them to go in and pivots hard on the live service plans. I do think they are starting to realise this. Because let's be honest, Fairgame$ is likely to be received exactly the same as concord, and the dire straights that Bungie is in is also reflecting badly on Sony currently
IMO Sony has been lucky that Xbox just isn't at the races, and nintendo is winding down the switch.
Reason for the strong engagement is because of the flood of quality software ober the last decade that in many cases could only be played on Playstation (at least initially) since the end of the PS3 cycle. Sony is riding the coat tails of that success. But it's clear they are losing goodwill which won't sustain them into PS6 on the current trajectory
I also think Phil Spencer is actually correct that last gen was the worst one 'to lose' as a lot of people will want to carry forward their digital libraries (and with the bonus of also being able to play pS4 discs).
I've generally been disappointed this gen. The Sony magic isn't there. As I've said before it's not just the quality of games - there are lots of excellent games available - but the x factor that set Playstation apart is lacking; and a large part of that is this mystique generated by poor PR and an awful communications strategy over the past few years
I wish Sony just did pre-orders to meet demand with these things rather than making an artificially limited quantity. That would kill the scalping dead, and Sony would get alot more money directly into their pockets.
I literally don't care about a controller being limited edition. Yes I was lucky enough to get the spiderman one and I have a preorder in for this one, but everyone that wants one should have the opportunity to buy one.
@hypnotoad Yeah Smyths are legit. Really happy with all previous orders I've placed with them.
I will admit I bought astro dualsense from playstation direct as I was sat on there from 9.50 hitting refresh and didn't realise other stockists were selling it or I would have bought from Smyths too.
I got an email from Sony asking me to review my physical version of FF7 Rebirth a couple of days ago after I finished my playthrough. I don't know if the criteria for being invited to leave the review was completing the game, triggering a certain trophy (I.e. reaching a particular section of the game), or based on tracked hours played (I put 115 hours into the game)
Comments 5,878
Re: Japan Sales Charts: Astro Bot Barely Registers at Retail, PS5 Numbers Plummet After Price Hike
To be fair to Astro Bot, sales look soft for all software based on those figures. Hardware sales are atrocious though. Who'd have thought raising the price would put people off...
Maybe they are waiting for the Pro 😅
Re: Poll: Would You Buy PS5 Pro If It Was Cheaper?
No. Only way I get a pro is if my standard PS5 stops working. And only then if it has had a significant price cut. Would rather keep the money for PS6.
Pro is completely unecessary. PS5 surely hasn't come close to reaching its potential. If it has, that is concerning.
Re: MGS: Master Collection Vol. 2 Is in the Works, But Games Not Decided Yet
Vol 2: MGS4, Portable ops, Metal Gear Ac!d 1 & 2 , and one of the old titles like the gbc game
Vol 3: Revengeance, Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes, MGS 5
The bin: MG Survive
Re: PS5 Pro Will Improve PSVR2 Games
I'm sure Sony have a AAA VR first party title ready to launch with PS5 pro to really showcase this too....
Re: Astro Bot PS5 Sales 'Aren't Huge' in UK, But There's Still Hope
If Sony isn't selling a PS5, Astro and Lego Horizon pack in bundle for Christmas, they are missing a trick
Re: Poll: Are You Sold on PS5 Pro?
Will be amazed if this sells well. It's absolutely the definition of enthusiast device. Hope Sony isn't banking on selling large numbers - they won't at that price that's for sure. But of course if you wait 12 months the price might be 800 quid so...
If this is dropping for 700 quid, goodness knows what PS6 would launch at.
I still dont get why this is needed. Yes I get the 4k, 60 fps issue is an issue for some, but is it worth 700 pounds (plus extra for a disc drive)?
I don't believe we are anywhere close to tapping out the base PS5. Most titles are still running on PS4 Xbox series S after all.
Re: Did You Know PlayStation Almost Had a Different Name?
Made the right choice here. Powerstation would have opened them up to criticism when more powerful consoles get released
Re: Sony Increases PS5 Controller Prices in US, Europe, and More
Really would help soften the blow if they included a larger battery at this stage.
Re: PS5 Pro Showcase Set for Tomorrow, Hosted by Mark Cerny
@Ravix who made this 🤣🤣🤣
Re: PS5 Pro Showcase Set for Tomorrow, Hosted by Mark Cerny
Hopefully they announce a games showcase at the end
Re: Star Wars Outlaws' Instant Fail Stealth Sections Will Be Reworked in Upcoming PS5 Patch
Didn't they learn from the early Assassins Creed titles that people hate instant fail stealth missions. They made a big song and dance at the time that they had listened and learnt. Genuinely surprised to see the mechanic return in a Ubisoft title
Re: Astro Bot PS5 Fans Wonder Where All the Square Enix Characters Are
@UltimateOtaku91 No, I completely agree! Sony can't be held to account for lower than expected sales (read NOT poor sales). They marketed the heck out of the Final Fantasy titles. FF16 even got its own State of Play. Even Foamstars was heavily represented
Re: Astro Bot PS5 Fans Wonder Where All the Square Enix Characters Are
@AinsleyE Gimmie that Amaraterasu bot from Okami. Would love a physical model of that
Re: Astro Bot PS5 Fans Wonder Where All the Square Enix Characters Are
Yes. Given the buster sword was in Astro's Playroom no reference to anything square enix is very noticeable by its absence. I really do hope it isn't down to a falling out between Sony and Square Enix.
Square has made some odd comments recently and there seem to have been some grumblings holding Playstation accountable for FF16 and 7 rebirth not hitting sales targets.
Of course it's equally too easy to read too much into this until either party makes a statement 😅
Re: Astro Bot PS5 Credits Indicate DLC Cameo Bots Could Be Inbound
Still nothing from Square enix though - or so I'm led to believe - I only have 90 bots so far. Seems odd not to have anything
Re: Gallery: Astro Bot Has the Best PS5 Controller Design Yet
@MrPeanutbutterz Sorry 😅🙏
Re: Gallery: Astro Bot Has the Best PS5 Controller Design Yet
@MrPeanutbutterz Yeah that annoyed me too 😅 the shoulder buttons are black in game too. A patch is in order!
Re: PlayStation Studios Celebrate Astro Bot's PS5 Arrival with Awesome Artwork
My two kids are playing Astro Bot now and whooping and cheering over it. It's a hit with all generations. This is what gaming is all about and what Sony has missed for ages.
Well done Team Asobi
(Though if my 4 year old thinks he is trying the new dualsense with the white sticks he is sadly mistaken 🤣)
Re: PlayStation Studios Celebrate Astro Bot's PS5 Arrival with Awesome Artwork
Most concerningly where is Hermen Hulst's new twitter head picture. He hasn't updated it. Perhaps the concord issue means he is unable to have fun 😔
Re: Astro Bot PS5's Live Action Trailer Is a Whole Vibe
My copy and the dualsense arrived today. Got a chance to try it over lunch and it's brilliant so far 👌 astro fennec foxes are adorable
Re: Sony Execs Seem to Think the Company Doesn't Have Enough Original IP
I put a big list in a previous article so I won't repeat it here. But I do think the gaming division has been unfairly lumped in with the movie and animation department. Sony has a wealth of untapped ip they are sitting on in the vaults
I think Sony should take a good look through the archives and see what could be updated for a modern audiences, taking the lessons it has learnt over the past 30 years of game development.
Nintendo has shown that there is no such thing as a dead ip if you can bring it back in an updated and different way. Heck, Mario has been slapped onto all sorts of different genres over the years and his popularity is only growing. So there is nothing stopping Sony looking to try something original with some of its IP.
I keep coming back to Killzone and Resistance and think there is easily fuel left in the tank of those franchises for a revival to provide the online shooter they crave.
The Getaway could have provided a useful stopgap between GTA releases, but no where to be seen.
Uncharted 4 is 8 years old. The franchise is long overdue a return, particularly with Tomb Raider seemingly in development hell as the ip gets thrown around different developers.
Syphon filter would provide something different in a market crying out for new stealth titles.
Siren could capitalise on the revival of survival horror resulting from the recent success of the resident evil franchise.
Tip of the iceberg, but my point is, there is a lot of money and potential being left on the table.
I will say if Sony want to invest in new ip, they won't find me complaining. I just wonder how much they will take the financial risk in today's environment. With that said, look at how that leap of faith has worked with titles like the last of us, Ghost of Tsushima, and Horizon.
Best of luck to them. An interesting few years ahead
Re: Astro Bot (PS5) - One of the Greatest PlayStation Platformers of All Time
@PuppetMaster it is concerning. They just need a brief look back at their lineage and history. Money sitting on the table.
Sony seem to misunderstand and think everything needs to be a 100 million, 60 hour epic in order to sell. They could easily fund 3 or 4 quality 20 hour titles (see uncharted lost legacy, Miles morales) for a fraction of the cost and at significantly reduced development times. This is what Shawn Layden called for all those years ago, but he seems to have been ignored. It's so daft.
They could immediately reduce the risk associated with many of these games, and they would no doubt be better off for it. Astro Bot getting the rave reviews it's getting today is the PERFECT example of that.
Sony themselves said not to expect any major titles this year, meaning that they don't consider this a tentpole release. Yet I bet Astro Bot does significantly better than many titles that have spent years in development and cost double the price to make.
Re: Astro Bot (PS5) - One of the Greatest PlayStation Platformers of All Time
@The_Wailing_Doom Haha, good spot! I completely agree. I don't see why it should be one or the other with Sony and superhero games. The InFamous series was excellent and arguably there is more freedom to really experiment and go wild with the formula if not tied into marvel licensing. For example they could make a much darker game to balance out the lighterheartedness of marvel content. Second son released 10 years ago, so something new is long overdue (and it doesn't even need to come from suckered punch necessarily as I appreciate they are deep into development of the successor to the wonderful ghost of tsushima)
Re: Astro Bot (PS5) - One of the Greatest PlayStation Platformers of All Time
Get Hiroki Totoki in front of this to see all the Sony IP that could do with dusting off given his recent comments that playstation has a lack of ip. There is loads of forgotten ip Sony should be looking to bring back in some capacity:
Resistance, ape escape, killzone, medieval, patapon, uncharted, syphon filter, motor storm, days gone, infamous, Gravity rush, wipeout, Sly cooper, infamous, puppeteer, Parappa, jak and daxter, siren, little big planet, Socom, Siren, warhawk being just a few examples that spring to mind.
Massive congratulations Team Asobi on knocking this out of the park.
Re: Astro Bot (PS5) - One of the Greatest PlayStation Platformers of All Time
Mine has been dispatched this afternoon. Hopefully the controller and game both arrive tomorrow! Can't wait for this. The win Sony desperately needed
Re: Hogwarts Legacy 2 One of Publisher's 'Biggest Priorities' for the Future
@riceNpea Hogwarts had zero microtransactions. There were fears before launch that the room of requirement would add GAAS elements, but that wasn't the case at all.
I believe that there was a single dlc pack with an optional combat arena, but nothing that would interfere with the game.
Re: Hogwarts Legacy 2 One of Publisher's 'Biggest Priorities' for the Future
The first game was very good and really created a wonderful sense of place. But there were definitely numerous areas where they could improve in future titles
Re: Reaction: PlayStation Needs to Take a Long, Hard Look at Itself
This is really bad. Like catastrophically bad for Playstation. Seeing SIE on the box has always indicated a seal of quality, an unmissable experience - and it's what drove the momentum from the end of the PS3 generation, through PS4 (winning them the spectacular market share for that gen), and is what has driven the sales of PS5 to date.
But if you cannot rely on Sony first party any more (even in this one instance), then that starts to build doubt amongst consumers, and they might not rush out to buy the next AAA exclusive. And given how Sony has behaved this generation, it might impact the transition into a theoretical Playstation 6.
Through the poor communication, lack of a product roadmap, failure to hype up the core with proper showcases, Sony have shown themselves to be out of touch with their core customers. It's damaged my enjoyment of gaming this generation, that's for sure. The magic has gone to be replaced by soulless, corporate greed.
I feel like PS4 generation was a success due to the legacy of the likes of Shawn Layden. He warned about this happening. And everything now seems to be coming home to roost.
Jim on the otherhand was a business man without a clear passion for gaming. And we'll have to see with Hermen Hulst. A nice guy - but im not sure if he is a leader - he has a lot of work to do to prove he is the man for the job.
Ultimately the Sony magic we once knew, is gone. Whereas we used to see sprinklings of originality from the likes of Japan Studio (who - whilst their titles didn't sell big numbers - they eclipsed Concord, particularly when you take into consideration the reduced development time and production costs), now Sony seems to have lost sight of its roots and what made them who they were. They only see pounds, dollars, euros and money. Whereas before they had heart
Sony CANNOT blame anyone but themselves. They have been told by their customers time and time again what they want. But they have chosen to stop listening. They need a massive turn around - starting this month - to reassure customers and win back ailing support for the platform.
Because as it stands currently - it's not only fairgames and marathon that look set to fail - but also the likes of the until dawn remake, PS5 pro etc. Sony really need to get back to looking at the general mood in the gaming community because it doesn't look great right now
I really hope that when Sony reflect on this whole mess they recognise that the problem doesn't solely sit with Concord. It feels like the wrong game launching at the wrong time. When SIE has stubbornly refused to speak to it's customers in a meaningful way - for years at this point - this does feel like a backlash against wider issues at play. If the game had dropped in a small gap amongst some of Playstation's bigger single player IP, and there was clarity that Sony is still investing in the types of games that it has become known for, there is a chance this would have been received more positively. SIE need to sit down and really take the time to listen.
Concord was always facing an uphill battle - particularly as one of the first live service titles to release. If Sony wanted to test the waters of live service, there were so many existing ip crying out for a new lease of life that could have been considered (for examplSocom, MAG, Killzone, Resistance, Warsaw, Starhawk Twisted metal).
Re: PS5, PC Shooter Concord Dead on Arrival, Is Being Taken Offline This Week as Dev 'Explores Options'
As I said elsewhere, the ramifications of these losses will be huge. It won't just be concord / firewalk affected, but Playstation's whole business for years to come. You can't just write off losses like this. And with Marathon and Fairgame$ to come, and the disaster that has been the bungie aquisition? It doesn't look good.
This whole live service experiment appears to have been jumped into two footed without feeling the pulse of the gaming community. It's possible that concord DID look unique when it was first shown to Sony - but an 8 year dev cycle is just far too long and new, fresh ideas will have overtaken it, and those games that got to market first have established strong player bases which are unlikely to jump into another online hero shooter.
I have said since PS5 launched something is not right at Sony. They are not listening to what the community is telling them. More losses to come I'm afraid.
If they think PS5 Pro will be a massive success - particularly in this financial climate - I'm afraid to say that i think they are sorely mistaken. When they are still increasing the price of PS5 around the world (and yet to max out its potential), i don't see many upgrading to a new machine right now.
I really hope Astrobot performs well this week, and Sony get some goodwill back with a strong State of Play in September - because it's looking a little concerning right now.
As for Concord / Firewalk, it is a shame that it has come to this - as others have said, the best thing to do right now might be to resurrect factions and let them work on curating / sustaining an audience for that if they are set to continue as a live service studio. I'm not sure Sony would be able to set them off on a new game right now with another protracted development timeline - but i certainly dont want to be reading an article in a few weeks telling us that the studio has been shuttered and more developers have lost their jobs. Because by all accounts, Concord appears to have been competently put together and launched in a decent state. There are clearly talented developers at the studio and I hope a solution can be found to keep everyone employed
Re: Layoffs Hit Ballistic Moon Ahead of Until Dawn PS5's October Release
I wonder if they were reliant / had hopes of being acquired by Playstation if Until Dawn landed well but Sony is not currently in a merger and aquisition phase.
Some downsizing is natural once contractors work is complete on a title, but this sounds more severe than that
Re: Concord PS5, PC Sales Estimates Are Somehow Even Worse Than We Thought
I do worry about the knock on impact from an abysmal failure such as this. It's been well reported that companies can't afford to just write off game failures any more. Goodness knows how much it cost to make concord, but the impact will inevitably filter down to Sony's other studios (and this being a new ip doesn't bode well for Sony signing off on new titles in future). The same vibe is also being felt around Fairgames - so Sony have a job on their hands to turn things around before it releases.
I hope Astrobot does very well, because otherwise this could be a tough winter for Sony as until dawn is already sounding like it is going to struggle given the high cost of entry
Re: Poll: Are You Playing Star Wars Outlaws?
Will be half of by black friday based on Ubisoft's history, so will pick up down the line
Re: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Beta: Start Times, How to Access, and Rewards
Would be interested in the open beta but 80gb is huge for a 3 day demo
Re: Talking Point: Can PS5, PC Shooter Concord Be Saved?
Could they make it free to play for like a couple of characters until you rank them up to level 5 or 10. That would give more people an incentive to at least try the game and decide if it's for them (although I'm not sure if you rank / level up characters up like that in concord). Progress could then be carried over to the main game if you decide to purchase the full title.
I do think the article has probably hit the nail on the head. A lot of people will see this as one of the poster boys for Sony's push for live service. With a lack of a clear roadmap telling gamers what else is coming in the near future, then this is getting more of a reaction compared to if it had dropped between two major AAA releases. Because by all accounts, this isn't a bad game - it's just coming across as quite generic in a sea of live service games with established player bases from other studios
Re: Indiana Jones Devs Are Hyped the Game's Coming to PS5
Machine games probably also delighted that the work already done to develop the game on PS5 before Microsoft bought Bethesda and renegotiated exclusivity with Disney won't be going to waste
Re: Castlevania Dominus Collection Gathers Dawn of Sorrow and Its DS Brethren on PS5, and It's Out Now
Excellent games and I was a fool to sell them given the increasing resale value on the originals
Re: Japan Hit with Yet Another PS5 Price Increase
Yet more evidence that the ps5 pro is completely unecessary. Who will be able to justify buying one at whatever price it finally launches at. Economic situation around the world isn't getting any better is it.
Better that Sony focus on optimising titles for release on the current PS5 imo, and look to delivering a larger technical leap for a likely PS6
I'm sure nintendo is looking very closely at this. If they can undercut the base PS5 with Switch 2 they are already onto a winner
Re: Star Wars Outlaws Smuggler Makes the Kessel Run, Beware Spoilers
Speaking of ubisoft, did anyone see Will Ospreay's incredible Assassins Creed Shadows inspired entrance and ring gear (complete with Roger Craig-Smith / Ezio introduction) at the AEW wrestling all in PPV last night? Incredible:
https://youtu.be/E-A45Bqc6-A?si=CLAgdqRu5KTE87xO
Re: Expect New, Stronger Tifa in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Sequel, Says Director
Crikey. She will be properly OP of they do this. My party of choice was Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie. I was surprised to see Yuffie usurp Red XIII who I always mained in the original game (with vincent), but she was a joy to use and one of the more versatile characters for aerial and ranged combat
Re: Until Dawn PS5 Is Priced at $60 / £60
Looking forward to playing this at the full price...of my PS Plus subscription when it drops in a couple of years. Great game but not sure it needed to be remade, even with the additions. Would have bought a sequel though!
Re: Preview: Persona 3 Reload's Episode Aigis Remake Will Still Divide Opinion
Hmmmmm kind of done with games that waste my time, so if that appears to be the case in the final review, I'll probably skip the dlc
Re: Square Enix Has Got Fans Talking About a Final Fantasy 13 Remake, Not a Remaster
I'd love a chance to play again but Square don't need to worry about a remake given their financial situation. Just make them playable on PS5 and I'll be happy.
Re: 'Rebuilt' Until Dawn Comes to Haunt PS5, PC This October
Loved the game but I know the plot and for this type of game, it's not enough to just improve the visuals. Would have bought a sequel, but I don't think I'll be buying this
Re: Concord Pre-Load Available Now on PS5, Post-Launch Roadmap Revealed
I get the game doesn't look great but I'm not really sure people celebrating it's (presumed) failure is a great look tbh. Just don't buy it.
I hope it does well enough to secure Firewalk's future (and keeps its employees in post).
But I do hope that Sony gets the message that this isn't the direction that people want them to go in and pivots hard on the live service plans. I do think they are starting to realise this. Because let's be honest, Fairgame$ is likely to be received exactly the same as concord, and the dire straights that Bungie is in is also reflecting badly on Sony currently
Re: PS5's Lack of Tentpole Exclusives Isn't Hurting Engagement, Says Sony
IMO Sony has been lucky that Xbox just isn't at the races, and nintendo is winding down the switch.
Reason for the strong engagement is because of the flood of quality software ober the last decade that in many cases could only be played on Playstation (at least initially) since the end of the PS3 cycle. Sony is riding the coat tails of that success. But it's clear they are losing goodwill which won't sustain them into PS6 on the current trajectory
I also think Phil Spencer is actually correct that last gen was the worst one 'to lose' as a lot of people will want to carry forward their digital libraries (and with the bonus of also being able to play pS4 discs).
I've generally been disappointed this gen. The Sony magic isn't there. As I've said before it's not just the quality of games - there are lots of excellent games available - but the x factor that set Playstation apart is lacking; and a large part of that is this mystique generated by poor PR and an awful communications strategy over the past few years
Re: Beware! Scalpers Reselling Astro Bot PS5 Controllers for Ridiculous Prices
I wish Sony just did pre-orders to meet demand with these things rather than making an artificially limited quantity. That would kill the scalping dead, and Sony would get alot more money directly into their pockets.
I literally don't care about a controller being limited edition. Yes I was lucky enough to get the spiderman one and I have a preorder in for this one, but everyone that wants one should have the opportunity to buy one.
Re: Poll: Have You Pre-Ordered an Astro Bot PS5 DualSense Controller?
Yeah I secured one. Not admitted it to my wife yet though 😅
Re: Quidditch Champions Will Depict Never-Before-Seen Harry Potter Schools on PS5, PS4
This looks really good. Excited for this
Re: Astro Bot PS5 DualSense Controller Pre-Orders Are Now Live
@hypnotoad Yeah Smyths are legit. Really happy with all previous orders I've placed with them.
I will admit I bought astro dualsense from playstation direct as I was sat on there from 9.50 hitting refresh and didn't realise other stockists were selling it or I would have bought from Smyths too.
Re: Sony Appears to Be Dabbling with Written User Reviews on the PS Store
I got an email from Sony asking me to review my physical version of FF7 Rebirth a couple of days ago after I finished my playthrough. I don't know if the criteria for being invited to leave the review was completing the game, triggering a certain trophy (I.e. reaching a particular section of the game), or based on tracked hours played (I put 115 hours into the game)