Head of PlayStation Studios , Hermen Hulst, took to PlayStation blog to discuss a variety of things today. For those not in the know, PlayStation Studios the international network of world-class development studios that produce some of PlayStation’s biggest hits. These include Returnal and Astro’s Playroom to The Last of Us Part II, Dreams, Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart and much, much more. Basically, if it is Sony, and you enjoyed it, chances are they had a hand in it.
Among the things discussed where new IPs, the PC market, and Japan’s place within the changing gaming climate. We will only discuss a few things here but a link to the full interview will be left below.
For starters he was asked if he felt that Story and narrative driven games were essential to the PlayStation Studio’s experience. Hulst Responded in a word “Absolutely.” He continued by stating:
Single-player, narrative-driven games — that’s our DNA. PlayStation Studios have made, in my mind, some of the most memorable narrative experiences available. We love making them, and we’ll keep making them as long as gamers enjoy them.
This should not come as a shocker to most gamer as the studio has become know for that style over the years. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart looks to continue that tradition later this month.
When asked how many titles the studio was currently working on he also gave a noteworthy answer. The studio has over 25 games in development currently, with over half of them being new IPs. Given how both the PS3 and PS4 delivered incredible new experiences during their runs any fan of the console should have a lot to look forward for.
Another quote worth looking at involves his stance on new IPs. When asked about how important they were to the company he stated:
New IP is incredibly important to us. New IP is the lifeblood of gaming. But, new IP is just one aspect of our strategy. Ultimately, I want PlayStation Studios to be fiercely daring, to take risks.
This is a good stance for the president of the company to talk. He should be even more willing to stand by this now that The Last of Us 2 has proven to be so successful. Hopefully there are plenty of surprises in store.
He also discussed the release of Horizon: Forbidden West:
For Horizon, we think we are on track to release this holiday season. But that isn’t quite certain yet, and we’re working as hard as we can to confirm that to you as soon as we can.
While this confirms that the company have plans to release it by the end of this year, it is unsure if it will meet that date. God of War, which he notes started development later, was recently delayed into 2022. Many of these companies experienced closers during the Covid pandemic so these delays are not surprising.
This was only a small taste of what was discussed. If you would like to read the full thing you can do so here.
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Includes several titles.
Which was showcased at E3 2003.