Sony Has Handled Its First-Party Studios (Almost) Perfectly

A weird thing happened on the way to this era of gaming. Sony magically found its footing as the AAA narrative-focused company. For me, the beginning of this stretch was The Last of Us and Uncharted. Two games that changed the way Sony did things — some good, some bad.

Both games were incredible as standard-bearers for that era of PlayStation. But I can’t help but feel like the success of both franchises locked Sony into this idea that single-player narrative games should be the main focus.

SONY HAS SOME TUNNEL VISION

I think of games like SOCOM 2 and Syphon Filter (Bend is still here, by the way) when I think of PlayStation games in the past that deserve a second chance in this era. Unfortunately, Sony closed Zipper Interactive, the developer of SOCOM, in 2012. And that was as they were working on a new SOCOM. But Rainbow Six Siege being as successful as it’s been tells me there’s still an appetite for tactical shooters. 

This is where I think the successes of The Last of Us and Uncharted made Sony complacent. And I can’t necessarily blame them. If you’ve shown an ability to create high-level narrative experiences no matter the studio? It’s hard to say you should pivot in other directions occasionally.

Maybe it’s time for Sony to supplement what they have on the single-player side with some smaller titles, or revivals of classics. It can’t hurt to take a shot and see what people respond to. 

THE SILVER LINING

I’m saying all of that because I genuinely want to see other PlayStation franchises shine. But there’s Hall of Fame-level work there. That isn’t up for debate. And I have to give them credit for at least giving their developers the freedom to explore the stories and gameplay styles they want to. 

Guerrilla is the perfect example of that. Going from Killzone to Horizon is an incredible jump. And both franchises are quality. It’s a testament to Sony’s understanding that there’s more to a studio than what they’re known for. 

Sucker Punch gave us Sly Cooper and then came back around to give us Ghost of Tsushima. Insomniac was known for Ratchet and Clank, then dropped three classic Spider-Man games with a possible classic coming in Wolverine. They know how to give the space for new franchises. Just, please, don’t forget the older ones.