The PlayStation 4 has made a powerful impact on the gaming market, but questions are already being asked about the PS4 life cycle. Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO John Tsuyoshi Kodera talked to investors regarding the present and future plans for the company. Sony’s investor relations took place yesterday, after which WSJ’s Takashi Mochizuki made a few interesting pointers.
Out of all the information and figures that were shared that day, one particular statement stood out. John Tsuyoshi Kodera said that the PlayStation 4 is “finally entering the final phase of its console life cycle.”
Still, this doesn’t mean you should get discouraged. Because they are doing what’s best for the system:
SIE chief Kodera: You can expect more exclusive titles for PS platforms!
— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) May 22, 2018
And as we all know, good exclusives are vital and they contribute to a lengthy console life cycle. Kodera continued how it’s been a difficult year. “It’s difficult to start brand-new IPs, not limited to ForwardWorks and PlayStation. We will continue using pre-existing PlayStation IP as the core of establishment for ForwardWorks, but we’d like to do so while managing the size of new IPs. We’ll continue pushing forward using personnel with knowledge on this point.”
He added, “As for first party investment, it isn’t necessarily only about increasing new IPs. Part of it is about refreshing current IPs, and enhancing contents by developing franchises for successful IPs.”
Many of you are no doubt taking this as a sign that Sony is speeding up the transition between the PS4 console and the PS5 console. These statements simply indicate that the industry giant is most likely slowing down game production (just a bit). There’s a strong chance they are already laying the groundwork to move their top development studios onto launch projects for, well, whatever the hell they’ve lined-up next. The PS5? Who knows…
At present, we do not have any official confirmation on Sony’s next console. We do know that some people are becoming increasingly impatient about the PS5 launch date. God of War 2 and Horizon 2 for PS5, maybe? Okay, I know that’s a long shot, but ya know… So, when do you think we’ll see the end of the PS4?
[Source: Siliconera]
