Sony promises single-player games aren’t dead, despite its push into live services
Sony will ‘always’ make single-player games
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Despite a recent push into live service and multiplayer games,Sonysays it will continue to create the single-player games its best known for.
In a recent interview withGamesIndustry.bizabout Sony’s recent acquisition of Haven Studios, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst reaffirmed Sony’s commitment to single-player games.
“Obviously we will always carry on making these single-player narrative-based games such asGhost of Tsushima,The Last of Us, andHorizon Forbidden West,” Hulst told the publication. “But you’ve spotted correctly that we have invested in live service games, because that’s incredibly exciting for us. It allows us to build larger worlds, it allows us to create really meaningful social connections between players.”
Analysis: a major live service push
Haven Studios is the latest developer to be acquired by Sony as part of the company’s push into the live service and multiplayer space. The most prominent acquisition was that of Destiny developer Bungie, which is working on a brand new multiplayer action game.
This new game from Bungie is one of10 live service PlayStation gamesthat Sony plans to release by 2026. While this slew of new games hasn’t been confirmed, Hulst told GamesIndustry.biz that the company has “quite a few now in development or conceptualization”.
We do know of quite a few multiplayer games Sony is working on right now. As mentioned above, we know Bungie is creating a new IP that’s rumored to be called ‘Matter’, we also know thatMarvel’s Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games washiring for a multiplayer projectback in 2021, as was Ghost of Tsushima developerSucker Punch, while Naughty Dog has been working on its “first standalone multiplayer”, which is a spin-off ofThe Last of Us 2.
In addition, Sony hasteamed up with Deviation Games, made up of ex-Treyarch devs, to work on a new IP (which we imagine will be a multiplayer shooter) and PlayStation and Firewalk Studios have apublishing partnershipto develop a new multiplayer IP.
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We also now know the recently acquired Haven Studios isworking on a AAA multiplayer gamethat aims to “build a systemic and evolving world focused on freedom, thrill, and playfulness”.
With all this focus on multiplayer, it’s welcome news to hear Sony hasn’t forgotten about its single-player experiences. Though it’s unlikely the company would’ve thrown away its bread-and-butter in pursuit of new experiences, especially with PlayStation exclusives likeGod of War: Ragnarok,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, andWolverinein the pipeline.
An award-winning games journalist, with seven years of experience in games journalism and a degree in journalism from City University, London, Vic brings experience from IGN, Eurogamer, The Telegraph, VG247, Dot Esports and more to the TechRadar table. You may have even heard her on the radio or speaking on a panel, as she’s previously appeared on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio Ulster and more. Not only is Vic passionate about games, but she’s appeared on both panels and podcasts to discuss mental health awareness. Make sure to follow her on Twitter for more.
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