It’s not often that we see a first-party franchised that is pushed as heavily as SOCOM was during the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable disappear completely, but that’s what happened after the series failed to make a huge mark with its two PlayStation 3 entries. Since those two releases, the series has largely been missing in action, and the former developer, Zipper Interactive, was closed. Now that the PlayStation 4 is a bonafide success and Sony is in a position to take some chances, will we see a SOCOM PS4 game?
That’s why the question we posed in this week’s Now Loading was “Is it finally time for the SOCOM series to return?”
Check out the gallery below to find out what the staff thought of this week’s question:
Now that you’ve seen our answers, we’d love to see hear your thoughts on the matter at hand. Feel free to chime in below with your answer to this week’s question. We’d love to know what you think about the current shooter landscape, and if it’s time to see a SOCOM PS4 game!
We’re always looking for suggestions for our next Now Loading. If you’ve got a good one then let us know via email (or leave a comment below), and we might feature it next week. If we do, we’ll make sure to include a special thank you to the sender!
Now Loading is a weekly recurring feature where the PlayStation LifeStyle staff discusses anything video game-related ranging from hot topics to more whimsical subjects. Past editions can be found here.
Essential Reading:
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- 8 PS4 Features That Would’ve Left My 10-Year-Old Self Speechless
Now Loading: SOCOM
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Is It Time for SOCOM to Return?
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Anthony Nash
"I loved me some SOCOM, especially back when it was the premier thing to play on the PlayStation 2. However, the series kind of fell apart once the PlayStation 3 came out, and it didn’t seem like the team behind it ever figured out how to adjust in a post-Call of Duty online shooter world, so my answer would be a big no. I don’t think they would be able to compete with the likes of Call of Duty, Battlefield, Battlefront, Rainbow Six, and even some other stuff like PUBG, which gives you a SOCOM-like feel when you play as a squad. SOCOM is one of those titles that is probably better suited to just stay in the past and be remembered fondly by fans."
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Blake Grundman
"The extent of my SOCOM experience was actually on PSP, which I actually really enjoyed. As for the series being revived on console, I would be all for it, as long as they could try to reform a good portion of the original development team. If you are going to try and do it, you should go out and get the people who know it better than anyone else. You wouldn’t want to roll the dice and use an entirely new dev team. You could end up with another Mass Effect Andromeda... and nobody wants to see that."
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Cameron Teague
"I loved playing SOCOM on the PS3, so i would love for the series to make its return."
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Chandler Wood
"I was never a SOCOM guy, so I can't really say. Is it time? Sure. I'm sure someone out there would like it. Is that person me? Nope. I can think of a handful of other franchises I'd rather have Sony devote time and resources to than SOCOM, not because it's a bad series, but simply because it never struck my particular fancy when it was at the height of its popularity. Not to mention that gaming is overwhelmed with online multiplayer games right now, some of which are just losing players, or never gaining them in the first place. Those are troubled waters and one misstep could spell failure, even for a name as big as SOCOM."
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Michael Briers
"I did love SOCOM for its tactical element but I agree with some that it's probably best if the franchise remained in the past. We're a little spoilt for choice when it comes to shooters and at least at the minute, Sony has plenty of big-name AAA titles cramming up the pipeline to keep thumbs twitching."
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Paulmichael Contreras
"I'd really love for the SOCOM series to return. The market is currently flooded with fast-paced shooters, as others have mentioned. But as much as I wish the SOCOM franchise could be the one to offer something fresh enough for gamers to move en masse to tactical combat, I just don't see it happening. Rest assured, I would be there day one if SOCOM 5 was ever announced, but unfortunately I don't think Sony should expect much in the way of profits if it followed the conventions of the older games. Modernizing the franchise would likely just turn it into a derivative of other, better traditional shooters, and no one wants to see that."
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Tyler Treese
"There's enough of a vocal outset of PlayStation gamers that are screaming about the series constantly (trust me, I see all the tweets that rabid SOCOM fans tag @PSLifeStyle in) that I think it's worth a shot. With Killzone taking a much needed (and hopefully long) break, Sony lacks a serious multiplayer shooter at the moment. I feel like a tactical multiplayer game would fit that need perfectly."
