In a Reddit AMA earlier this week, Sony San Diego Studio Head Christian Phillips answered some questions about the recently launched MLB The Show 16, their Games as a Service initiative for PS4 that includes Drawn to Death, Guns Up!, and Kill Strain, and more.
Asked about PlayStation VR, Phillips said they’re looking at the tech right now:
Absolutely we are looking at the tech here in the studio, we don’t have anything to announce, but we have been intimately involved throughout every stage of the development cycle. So stay tuned.
When someone brought up the fact that a VR mode where you play as a pitcher or batter during a home run derby would be cool, Phillips replied, “The Show did support PlayStation Move…”
Moving to free-to-play, Phillips responded to someone who asked if Sony San Diego was now becoming the incubator for free to play e-Sport orientated games:
Sony San Diego has always been a leader into new areas for the product development business. Free to Play is an example of us doing that, we intend to not only explore the space but mature the space.
As for the future of MLB The Show, there should be a new game every opening day, “barring amazing external restrictions.” Looking ahead to MLB The Show 17, Phillips said:
No to be honest with you the features that are there [in MLB The Show 16] are exactly what we planned for [and nothing was saved for MLB The Show 17]. We have been doing this so long that we know what can make it in each year, which is 9 months. The team has plans for 17 already but it’s part of the pre-prod process.
Finally, Phillips said that the studio doesn’t have any PlayStation Vita-specific games in development (MLB The Show 16 is only available on PS4 and PS3), and they’re relying on Remote Play right now for support:
Sony San Diego doesn’t have any active Vita specific skews, we also still believe in the strength of vita. We are primarily relying on remote play as one of the ways to support that platform. We continue to look at it on an annual basis and weigh the options. The studio has supports [sic] the platform previously with MNR [ModNation Racers] Vita.
If you’re looking for access codes to Drawn to Death or Kill Strain, click on the links to grab one. For a European version of Drawn to Death, Phillips said, “We are working on it, but we don’t have an exact date yet as there are lots of moving parts. We want it available Europe wide, so that means navigating all the political waters.”
[Source: Reddit via Pure PlayStation]
