I am normally a stalwart Sony fanboy. I buy machines from both big home console manufacturers but my usual preference is for Sony. I am starting to get concerned though. They have produced a fantastic and efficient machine in the PS5, I like the UI, I love the updated controller and I still think they have the better first party studio slate. There are a couple of key things that I place great importance on that I see under threat under current management though.
Global Understanding and Presence
Sony are a Japanese company, but they have normally understood the global market and had global appeal (as opposed to the very US centric Microsoft). This impacts everything they do, from marketing and communication, to the games they support and produce. There were improvements that could be made around better synchronisation of releases for example, but things were improving there. There seems to be a bigger shift towards favouring the US and having the US lead. I get that this is due to decline in sales in Japan and decline in the sales of their home grown titles globally, but the solution to this should be to strengthen and address - not to move away from one of their key differentiators.
Sony have also previously demonstrated an understanding that Europe is a separate market and not simply somewhere else to hawk your goods as sold elsewhere.
The Smaller Titles
The other key differentiator that attracted me more to Sony was the breadth of titles and the support and development of smaller or more niche titles. Not just looking for or milking the blockbuster IP. From crazy ideas like LBP and Dreams to the Demon’s Souls to the Gravity Rush titles. It’s the wealth and breadth of titles they help develop or fund that sets them out. Them being a little brutal with studios or titles which under perform isn’t new, but there does seem to be a bigger shift to the tent pole titles and an assumption that indies and third parties will fill the gaps.
I’m not writing them off just yet obviously. I think there is stuff we don’t know of yet - like a better response to GamePass than PSNow is. I don’t want them to rest, I want them to innovate and surprise. Assuming there is something substantial to the talk (from Jim himself) of a GamePass counter then surely the smaller/niche titles Sony have supported so well in the past are perfect for that? I see why First Party day one doesn’t fit for them, and I agree with that, but that sort of vehicle is perfect for what Playstation is all about for me.