The future of PlayStation points very, very high thanks to its great sagas, but it must be recognized that the lack of a proper release schedule makes us put our feet on the ground: When are we going to be able to get our hands on that Horizon: Forbidden West that already looks too good? Hermen Hulst It has been proposed that this same year.
In the absence of an official calendar, and through from the PlayStation blog, Hulst – head of PlayStation Studios – sheds some light on what we can expect from the next PS5 console vendors and what is cooked in their key studies. And, in the process, he builds muscle again with the big names in the house, including the sequel to god of war or the next Great Tourism.
At first, the original plan is that Horizon: Forbidden West, Aloy’s new adventure, be ready for christmas. According to Hulst, the development team is working to confirm it officially as soon as possible. And that the new leader of PlayStation Studios comes precisely from Guerrilla Games gives us an extra confidence.
On the other hand, the arrival of Gran Turismo 7 in 2022 It does not catch us of new: already in February we were anticipated that the Polyphony saga will require an extra additional time.
Polyphony Digital is a very important part of the PlayStation family, creating the best driving simulation games in the world.
That said, the first big issue that he brings to the table is that practically half of the 25 games that Sony has in development they will be new sagas and completely original titles. A bet that has come out very well with games like Ghost of Tsushima or own Horizon Zero Dawn.
New games are incredibly important to us. And they are the essence of games. However, they are only one aspect of our strategy. Ultimately, I want PlayStation Studios to be fiercely bold and take risks. I want us to continue to respect the legacy of PlayStation, to continue to push the limits of gaming, and to continue to create games that matter. Games that probably would not have been created anywhere else.
The other great contribution is that the game that Bend Studio is currently developing will take what it has learned in Days Gone to offer the player an open world title.
Bend Studio is working on a very exciting new game that they are very, very excited about. They are building on the advanced open world systems they developed with Days Gone. I’m really happy for Bend Studio.
And what about Kratos? The highly anticipated sequel to God of War was unveiled displaying a logo and four figures: 2021, although it never had an official release date set. Already entered the month of June, Hulst confirms what many of us suspect when we do not see news on the horizon: the game will arrive next year. The reason? Do not compromise the quality of the game itself. Which is good.
In the case of God of War, the project started a bit later. So we decided to delay that game until next year to make sure Santa Monica Studio can deliver the amazing God of War game that we all want to play.
Finally, the Team Asobi -responsible for Astro games- born as the latest new studio in the PS Studios family and is building a new saga “for all ages with global appeal“We can’t wait to see what they can do with the DualSense after the exceptional Astro’s Playroom.
For PlayStation Studios, PS4 is still alive and expansion on PC is imminent, although not a priority
Couldn’t you get a PS5? Sony’s idea is that things have normalized between now and next year. That said, three of his console vendors will be released on a PS4 to which, seen what has been seen, still has surprises to give.
You can’t establish a community of over 110 million PS4 owners and then just abandon it just like that, right? I think it would be bad news for PS4 fans and frankly lousy business.
When it makes sense to develop a title for both PS4 and PS5 (such as Horizon Forbidden West, the upcoming God of War, GT7), we will continue to consider it. If PS4 owners want to play that game, they will be able to. If they want to go and play the PS5 version, they can too.
That said, Sony has set out to expand the impact of key sagas to PC. Two in-house blockbusters are now available on desktops, and the trend is for that to continue to rise. Although, for Hulst, consoles will still be the best place to play PlayStation Studios titles.
We are still in the planning phase for PC. Horizon Zero Dawn has been very successful. I think it shows that players outside of the PlayStation ecosystem are eager to enjoy the incredible variety of games that PlayStation fans have enjoyed for years.
However, I want to emphasize that PlayStation will continue to be the best place to play our PlayStation Studios titles at launch. All in all, we value PC gamers and will continue to look for the right times to launch each game.
Although games like Days Gone They arrived accommodated to the possibilities of PC, Hulst establishes the priority of PS5 and PS4 on the part of the own studies.
Bend Studio just released the PC version of Days Gone on May 18. That is, approximately two years after launch on PS4. That’s the goal – we want to reach new players who haven’t yet enjoyed the great characters, stories, and worlds we’ve created. Launching games on PC will never detract from creating an exciting collection of great console games.
With the future a little clearer, the next must-see on PlayStation 5 is right around the corner: Ratchet & Clank: A Dimension Apart arrives next June 11 and it will be the first litmus test for the hard drive and ultra-fast charging system of Sony’s next-generation console. A preview of the best to come? Like the rest of the house pitches, aim high.
