- PlayStation has made several big fumbles in the last few years.
- From cancelling discs to the live service push, and more, it has lost its way.
- Many are claiming that the company’s downfall has already begun.
With the PlayStation 5, Sony became the undisputed king of home consoles. Xbox was already slipping during the last generation, but they totally lost it this time due to their own rash decisions, and Sony capitalized on it all.
Despite still being the definitive console and leading the race, PlayStation has become quite controversial in the span of the last couple of years. The biggest outburst happened this year when the company announced its all-digital future.
So what once was a company so dedicated to its users that its execs bowed down in front of everyone to apologize for a PSN security breach is now called the most anti-consumer company, as it now opposes everything it stood for.
But this was just the tipping point for users. The company has been making huge fumbles this generation, and some are even calling it the gaming giant’s downfall. But what really led to this? Let’s talk about all the things in detail.
Why it matters: From cancelling discs to constantly reminding users that they don’t own their digital titles, to most recently cancelling a partnership with Hideo Kojima, the company’s reputation is gradually crumbling.
1. Sony’s Live Service Push With Concord
Kicking off the list is Sony’s huge push towards live service games. PlayStation Studios gained its name from its massively successful single-player titles, and they suddenly decided to prioritize live service.
Uncharted, The Last of Us, Insomniac titles, the God of War series, and more were what inclined people to get a PlayStation in the first place. The company randomly decided to slow down with such games and favor live service.
Before we get into too much detail, yes, Sony did get the insanely successful Helldivers 2 out of this policy, but that’s about it. And even more prominent was the Concord failure that made the company a laughing stock.
Concord was announced in 2023, amid Sony’s push for live service titles. Just the first look garnered a lot of mockery, and people were already quite skeptical. Eventually, it was released, flopped, and Sony lost millions.
Despite that, it continued the push, which led to more games and cancellations as well. The recent Horizon Hunter failed, and Fairgames isn’t promising either; worst of all, Sony recently reaffirmed its commitment to the policy.
2. Shifting Away From Physical Media
This is where the audience had enough. Data shows that digital games are now dominating sales compared to physical media. However, there is still a huge audience that prefers discs, and there’s a big second-hand market too.
A couple of months ago, Sony broke the internet by revealing it’s cancelling discs for all future releases starting from 2028. Fans have since been furious, with even the recent SOP being bombarded with “no disc, no buy” comments.
Yes, digital sales are higher, but there are a couple of reasons this decision isn’t sitting well with the fans. First and most important is the ownership issue; the games are just a digital license, and you don’t own what you pay for.
So, at any given time, if the company wants, you could lose access to your entire library, wasting your money. The other issue is the second-hand market, which will be completely destroyed with this tactic.
This will obviously reduce costs for Sony, earning them higher profits, but it’s highly anti-consumer, and they are being actively called out for that; it doesn’t seem that it will yield any positive results.
3. The Recent Split With Hideo Kojima
Hideo Kojima, whether you like his games or not, you will admit is a legend in the industry. Delivering groundbreaking games like Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding, and more, he holds immense respect in the industry.
Kojima, however, isn’t known to be the most efficient at managing budgets and deadlines, which reportedly led to Sony pulling out of funding Physint, which is an espionage game and a spiritual successor to the Metal Gear franchise.
Fortunately, Xbox picked up the title and is funding it now, but this will have deteriorated Kojima’s relationship with Sony and maybe even other Japanese developers, who are an essential part of the industry.
Kojima helped Sony a lot, and even perfected their in-house Decima Engine. The split also means that Physint and OD will now both be exclusives to Xbox, and PlayStation will miss out on both games.
Honorable Mentions
Here are a few other missteps that PlayStation has taken over the past couple of years:
Unfair Price Hikes
The industry is struggling with inflation and the worst hardware prices in years due to the memory situation. But even before that, Sony already succumbed to increasing both hardware and PS Plus prices.
The Bungie Acquisition
The company recorded a massive $600 million impairment loss on Bungie recently. When they acquired the studio, it was already struggling, so the acquisition was never a great idea.
The Weird Multiplatform Strategy
PlayStation itself confirmed that PC ports were quite inexpensive to make, and they could generate an amount that could be used for future new titles. Despite that, it shifted away from it, and even during that time, the policy felt quite weird.
Then there were some other notable things like studio closures, massive layoffs, and more. All these things combined suggest that the future isn’t too positive for PlayStation, but what do you guys think? Can they pull it off?
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News Reporter
Abdullah is an avid gamer who primarily plays single-player titles. If you can’t find him anywhere, he’ll probably be at his desk playing The Witcher 3 for the millionth time. When he isn’t playing games, he’s either reading or writing about them.
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