Reaction: Sony’s PS5, PC live service strategy won’t work if it’s all semi-shooters

But during last night PS ShowcaseThe platform holder did not help himself – in fact, it revealed two Titles that fit the definition of what skeptics feared about its strategy. Aside from being tone-deaf, Fairgame$ looked like the least squad-based shooter this side of XDefiant and Hyenas – in fact, it looked so generic, you could mistake its trailer for the title card of one of them. can close in The above headlines and we wouldn’t have batted an eyelid.

Concorde was arguably even more serious, because while Haven’s studio vibes made us want to gag, we had to wait for a press release to understand what Firewalk was all about. as a matter of fact About all. TL; DR: It’s a sci-fi PVP shooter with a strong social focus, because of course it is. We’ll keep an open mind until more information is shared, nor did any of the projects strike us as particularly innovative or original — a big issue in an increasingly competitive environment.

Sony has said it’s making 12 Live Service games for PS5 and PC, and it’s almost certain that not all of them will survive. It is quite literally a case of the platform holder throwing as much as possible at the wall, knowing that it only needs one to find its golden goose. The manufacturer has noticed on its balance sheet that more people are spending on microtransactions than full-priced games these days, and it needs to. one Fortnite-style hits.

The problem is that we’re slowly starting to see the live service boom self-implode, and not even good Games can now be saved. Take a title like Knockout City, a legitimately fun competitive effort with a novel concept that just couldn’t sustain itself. Recently, we also got news that the vampire-based Bloodhunt was going to end support less than a year after its release – despite taking a very interesting take on the battle royale concept, it’s finding an audience. failed in

If these games, with their own compelling and solid identities, can’t survive, what hope do Sony’s seemingly copycat shooters have? Obviously PlayStation’s marketing muscle can’t be ignored, but both Fairgame$ and Concorde will have to go back to the drawing board when they’re ready to reappear, as we’d argue last night’s CG trailers had done a lot More harm than good.

The biggest problem is that Sony did exactly that Nothing To allay the fears of fans since it announced its intention to develop a string of live service titles. As we said at the top of this article, Games as a Service is a business model and it’s not inherently bad: titles like Disney’s Dreamlight Valley and Genshin Impact may have obvious flaws, but they hold their own. Expanding matters with identities. Fans play week after week because they always have something new to offer.

If Sony is going to bankroll a bunch of shooters, it has an uphill battle ahead of it. We’re not sure who’s signing the cheques, but we could tell the platform holder that Fairgame$ and Concord’s response would be extraordinary – and us on seven-figure salaries with market research diplomas in our back pockets. no yes If the manufacturer Indeed Believed it was the right way to introduce a controversial initiative, it’s more out of touch than we ever imagined.

There is still time to turn it around. While it will be yet more shooter, we’re confident that The Last of Us’ standalone multiplayer game will have more than enough identity to entice players – though god only knows what’s going on with that. Hopefully, the handful of other titles in its production are a little more original. As we said at the top of this article, we’ve defended Sony’s live service strategy — but based on last night’s performance, we’re going to find out. very much Moving forward is more difficult.

How are you feeling about Sony’s live service strategy now that some titles have been introduced? Are you happy with the software at the show, or are you more concerned than ever about the decision to go down this path? Let it all out in the comments section below.