PlayStation Boss: “Players Only Remember the Best Games,” God of War in “Next Year or So”

Since launching the PS5, Sony has caught some flak for the rate at which its been delivering first-party games, particularly following the news that both God of War and Gran Turismo 7 have slipped to 2022, and Horizon Forbidden West is still “not quite certain” for 2021. Well, in a new interview with Chinese tech publication TMTPost, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan explained why they’re willing to delay their big games.

It is better to wait and have a great game than to rush and have a game that is [only] okay or quite good. Players only remember [the] best games rather than OK games. If it is a best game, players may want a sequel, and they will also want to buy a sequel, but no one really cares about a game that is only OK. Of course, due to financial and product portfolio considerations, we will also give pressure to studios to deliver a certain product within the expected time. But in general, we don’t want products that are OK, we want the best.

Speaking of release dates, Ryan also promised Horizon Forbidden West and God of War will arrive “in the next year or so.” While things may change, that would seem to indicate Sony is aiming to get GoW out in the first half, or perhaps summer, of 2022. Elsewhere in the interview, Ryan also discussed whether smaller, more experimental games will still be a part of PlayStation’s strategy as the focus seems to be shifting toward bigger, blockbuster experiences. Basically, Sony is going to let indies handle those…

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Our internal studios typically make larger games, but we will also cooperate with partner studios to develop some smaller-scale games. We work closely with independent game studios and will provide them with some support in terms of development, funding, and marketing. These independent teams are usually very small, about 10-20 people. Through supporting these studios, we are also incubating game products and establishing relationships with these studios. Perhaps they will be the next generation of 3A game developer. Well, maybe in five years or ten years, our relationship with these independent game studios will be different.

Do check out the full TMTPost interview, as it covers more topics than we can relate here, including what Sony looks at before acquiring a new studio, how COVID-19 continues to affect PS5 supply, and more.