Sony President, Hiroki Totoki Announces Delay of Six Live Service PlayStation Games and Hints at a Possible Acquisitions and Mergers

Sony Interactive Entertainment has released details about the company’s financial reports today. The reports share many insights on Sony’s plans for PlayStation in the future. During a financial call, President Hiroki Totoki mentioned that Sony is reviewing 12 live service games that are in the works. Although this news had many fans excited, there was a catch that they did not expect.

Totoki goes on to mention how the company will be launching them in batches of 6. This news had many fans disappointed as this meant the other 6 titles had been delayed. Upon saying this, Totoki spoke about their plans to take the Xbox route with things.

Hiroki Totoki on the delay of Six PlayStation Live Service games

Hiroki Totoki spoke in depth on what his plans for PlayStation are. He mentioned that they are committed to launching only 6 out of the 12 mentioned live service games by March 2026. About this, Totoki said “We are reviewing this. So the titles… we have not been able to meet the gamers’ expectations, but we are trying as much as possible that this would be played by the gamers and liked by gamers for a long time.”

The release schedule for the remaining six live service games is yet to be determined. Sony maintains a long-term commitment to expanding live service offerings, emphasizing a focus on quality rather than sticking to specific titles. The company’s policy underscores the importance of delivering high-quality gaming experiences.

Sony initially announced their plans in February 2022 to launch more than 10 live service games by March 2026. Notable studio acquisitions, including Bungie, Haven Studios, and Firewalk Studios, were part of this strategy. Destiny developer Bungie played a role in assessing Sony’s live service game portfolio, leveraging its expertise in the genre. The review process reportedly led to the scaling back of some live service projects.

Sony’s need for external help

The Last of Us multiplayer game, one of the projects, faced setbacks, with its game director still working on it as of November, raising hope for its eventual release. Other live service projects mentioned include Bungie’s Marathon, Haven Studios’ Fairgame$, Firewalk Studios’ Concord, and a Horizon multiplayer game. PlayStation’s London Studio will also be working on a co-op action game. While these mentioned titles have received the spotlight, it looks like Sony is struggling to keep up with the promises they made.

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President Totoki said, “We will discuss and show our 3rd mid-range plan at the end of FY23, regarding acquisitions and mergers.” This news has fans excited to see what studios will Sony try to acquire. While there are no further details about the mergers, fans will have to wait till the end of the Financial year of 2023 to figure out more.

Sony Interactive Entertainment faced many challenges during recent times including the Bungie layoffs and layoffs at Media Molecule. Despite challenges, Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 is noted as a recent single-player success, and the PlayStation 5 is highlighted for dominating sales against the Xbox Series X and S. But with the way things look, Sony might have to acquire more studios to keep the lead from Xbox. With the console wars getting bigger by the day, which platform do you think is better? the PlayStation or the Xbox?

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