Ryan said live-service games are attractive from a publisher's point of view because people keep coming back again and again. The knock-on effect is greater engagement and potentially even more spending.
"I think that trend towards live services will continue, and if you look for a model in our category of entertainment, which supports sustained engagement over a long period of time, live-service games arguably fit that bill better than a subscription service," Ryan said.
Ryan went on to say that live-service games are tailored specifically to players who want to spend hours and hours in a game, month after month. "That phenomenon of the live-service game... that has, in a very large part, fueled the enormous growth in the gaming industry that we've seen over the last ten years," Ryan said.
While PlayStation is definitely investing in live-service games, the company at the same time believes there is a bright future for single-player games and in the idea of choice in general.
"It's all about choice. There are obviously many millions of people who are happy to subscribe to PlayStation Plus. We offer them that option on the platform, and we think that we are offering a significantly improved option with the changes we have made," Ryan said. "Equally, if people want to play Fortnite or Call of Duty or FIFA, and have their sustained engagement that way, that's fine, too. Nobody is obliged to do anything."
In terms of the upcoming Sony live-service games, one of them is Jade Raymond's debut project at Haven Studios--described as a AAA multiplayer online game--which Sony just recently acquired. Sony is also buying Bungie, which runs the Destiny franchise and has other upcoming projects in the works.
SIE president Jim Ryan has said that the company expects half of its annual releases to arrive on PC and mobile platforms by its 2025 financial year, which runs from April 2024 through March 2025. As Sony expands onto larger platforms, it's also looking to release at least 12 live-service games that Ryan described as "transformational" for the company and capable of increasing its presence.
"PlayStation Studios historically has executed wonderfully in the delivery of a strong portfolio of narrative rich, graphically beautiful single-player games, but it's certainly the case that we have restricted ourselves to a rather narrow portion of the gaming market," Ryan said during a business meeting (via VGC). "By expanding to PC and mobile, and it must be said… also to live services, we have the opportunity to move from a situation of being present in a very narrow segment of the overall gaming software market, to being present pretty much everywhere.
Ryan added that if Sony could execute with "intelligence" and "excellence" then there would be significant consumer growth for PlayStation Studios-developed games. "If only a portion of those enjoy critical and commercial success, then the impact of that over time will be completely transformational to our business structure," Ryan said regarding Sony's live-service game projects.
PlayStation consoles were traditionally the only platform that Sony's first-party games could be played on, but that exclusivity has changed with the release of God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn on PC. Sony plans to acquire Destiny 2 developer Bungie as it begins its multiplatform expansion, which Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said will make the studio a key strategic partner.
Regarding mobile, Sony outlined various plans to enable "aggressive growth." That includes partnering with "respected, established, and successful mobile developers" that will allow it to bring its franchises to new players. It also intends to build mobile game development teams internally and publish "external games that fit within [the] broader PlayStation Studios portfolio."
Beyond bringing PlayStation Studios games to PC and mobile--the next game being ported is likely Returnal--Sony is also working on TV series adaptations of Gran Turismo, Horizon, and God of War.
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