A new report published by The Wall Street Journal claims that Sony will be targeting “hardcore” gamers with its next-gen console, offering graphically-intensive games and high-quality exclusives.
One Sony official has told WSJ that the company believes people buy consoles to play “graphics-heavy games.” Another official added that AAA exclusives attract buyers rather than indie games that can be played on other platforms like smartphones.
This doesn’t mean Sony is planning to do away with indies altogether. The WSJ report suggests that the company plans to approach large publishers to showcase big-budget games rather than smaller ones. Additionally, Sony is also tasking its in-house studios to make more AAA games.
Executives at small video game studios have told WSJ that they feel “snubbed” by Sony, which is reportedly opting out of showcasing indie games at the Tokyo Game Show 2019 in September. Instead, they have received support from Nintendo.
Speaking of Nintendo, Sony officials have confirmed to WSJ that the company doesn’t see the house of Mario as a rival because it tends to attract a relatively younger audience. Microsoft will remain Sony’s main competitor next gen, with Google Stadia eventually posing a threat as technology advances.
Ace Research Institute analyst, Hideki Yasuda, believes that a focus on costly heavy-hitters next gen might result in Sony offering a lesser variety of games for the PlayStation 5 compared to the PlayStation 4. However, he believes that even without official support, indie developers will keenly make games for PS5 due to PlayStation’s popularity.
Tentatively called PS5, Sony’s next-gen console is expected to launch during the 2020 holiday period.
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[Source: The Wall Street Journal via ResetEra]
