Sony’s attempt at transitioning its game service offerings towards live could backfire, according to experts.
Jim Ryan made it one of his goals to introduce live service mechanics into more PlayStation games after Bungie was purchased, announced as part of their plan in April 2022. Ryan intended to launch 10 live service titles within “four years.”
Now, since Ryan announced his departure from PlayStation, fans and experts alike are seeing it for what it truly was – an empty promise with gaps at every corner.
Sony prides itself on developing expansive cinematic solo titles from their first-party studios that never fit into a live service model. Jason Schreier recently mentioned Anthem as an example when studios “pivot from familiar genres to something brand new”.
Schrerier asserts that Ryan and his team’s wager on multiplayer gaming may not pan out the way they envisioned; game trends from 2023 illustrate this by showing live services are becoming an obstacle to players enjoying gameplay experiences; particularly since Fortnite became one of the biggest live service winners with season/battle passes or seasonal progression.
Schrerier notes that “insiders are worried about Sony’s lack of cohesive vision”, though this could change when Ryan is replaced by his successor. Over the last two years, Ryab advocated “games as a service”, or games which monetise players over prolonged time periods; Schreier comments: This approach “has caused discomfort to some Sony studios”.
Live service games seem to be on a downward trend as more and more gamers agree that there are simply too many. Playing Fortnite, Diablo IV, Rocket League and GTAV Online would take many hours of gameplay for most people; therefore forcing players to pick and choose among these offerings; ultimately impacting consumers in general.
Jim Ryan’s departure could mark another change at PlayStation. They already possess expertise when it comes to crafting compelling single player experiences; so it makes perfect sense.
